Just Words
by anonymous23.19
Summary: Because all that matters are the words we say... for the '100 Quotes of Life Challenge', 100 drabbles with a quote from the list used in each. Various canon pairings.
1. I'm so proud of you

**A/N: These are written for sick-atxxheart's The 100 Quotes of Life Challenge. I claimed all of them with various characters and pairings. Each drabble-y thing will use one of the quotes on the list.**

1. "I'm so proud of you."

Molly x Ginny

She paced outside frantically, shooting impatient glances at the door. It was magically enhanced so no sound could be heard from behind it; however she knew that Ginny would probably be screaming her head off. She always was loud. As a baby, she'd been noisier than all the boys put together and being the youngest (and the only girl) her daughter had developed a very good set of lungs to ensure she was heard over the boys.

Apparently, only one person was allowed in the delivery room at any one time. She'd had to let Harry go in, it was his wife and his child.

Her only daughter was having a baby! She was going to be a grandmother. Again!

She had a few grandchildren by now and they were a great source of pride and comfort. She loved them all so very much. Molly Weasley had longed for a large family but having seven children of her own was not enough. She'd managed to gather a few along the way and now she had grandchildren.

Ginny and Hermione had fallen pregnant at around the same time – she'd have two new babies to smother with love.

She dragged her mind back to the present. Arthur was slumped in his seat, his eyes kept flickering closed – it was 2am in the morning and he was getting old now, he needed his sleep. So did she actually, but she wouldn't sleep, not yet. She had to be here for her daughter. Percy and George were talking in whispers that she couldn't quite catch. Ron was clutching the hand of a very pregnant Hermione who looked weary – pregnancy was not Hermione's thing, love her. Bill was on his way – he'd had to tell Charlie first. She wondered if Charlie would come home, he and Ginny had always been very close…The whole family would be together if he did. She liked nothing better than to be surrounded by her family, all of them together, safe and happy.

Suddenly, the door was flung open and Harry stood in the doorway beaming widely. She could hear the baby crying impatiently. The whole family leapt to their feet.

"It's a boy! He's healthy!" Harry said in an almost dazed fashion as if it hadn't quite sunk in yet. "Erm… you aren't all allowed in yet. Ginny wants to see Molly first though, if that's okay?"

The others just nodded – they'd done this before, several times over. They were never all allowed in and it was an acknowledged fact that Molly always went into the room first. It was her right as matriarch of the family, none of them would ever dispute it.

Molly walked in slowly, savouring the emotions. She was excited and oddly nervous and thrilled and happy.

The room was sterile and clean, a Mediwitch bustled about in the background.

Ginny looked exhausted, strands of hair stuck to her sweaty forehead, the hospital gown swamped her. She had her eyes closed.

"Ginny, love, your Mum's here." Harry said quietly, touching Ginny's bare arm.

Ginny's eyes flew open and Molly smiled at her. The corners of Ginny's mouth lifted in response.

"He's here." Ginny said, gesturing to the miniscule crib by her bed. "Come see, we think it's only right you see him first."

Molly flew across the room to her grandson's cot and plucked him out expertly. She cradled him in her arms and felt a huge rush of love for this tiny baby. He already had a mop of black hair and when his eyes fluttered open she saw that they were brown, like Ginny's. His hand opened and closed gently like a starfish, tenderly Molly gave him her finger and his tiny fingers clamped around it.

"What's his name?" She said, unable to tear her eyes away from him.

"James. James Sirius Potter." Harry said proudly. "I'll just step outside for a bit, leave you two to talk…" He kissed Ginny on the cheek and left.

Bless him; Molly thought fondly, he always was so tactful. How did he guess that she just wanted to talk to her daughter for a moment?

"He's beautiful." She said to her daughter, placing her free hand in Ginny's. "He's so beautiful."

"He is."

"I'm so proud of you. So, so proud." Molly said with a lump in her throat.

And she is proud, her beautiful baby girl has grown up, she's married, married to her true love and they've just had the most adorable baby son. She's so proud.


	2. I had a dream last night

8. "I had a dream last night."

Lily x James

A knock at the door roused her from her morbid daydreams. Drawing her wand instinctively, she made her way to the door and opened it a mere fraction.

It looked like her James. She would check though, in these dark days every precaution was taken.

"What is the last thing I said to you?" She said, her wand pointed through the narrow gap at his heart.

"I love you, get killed and I'll never forgive you." He said solemnly, trying not to smile but breaking into laughter at the very end.

She yanked the door open and threw herself at him. He caught her safely and wrapped her tight in his arms. "You know, I'm supposed to check you as well." He grins.

She pulls away to glare at him fiercely, behind the glare he can see that she's upset.

"S'okay, love, I'm home now. Let's go in." He murmured into her hair, he pulled her gently back into the safety of the house, locking the door behind him, mumbling the charms and spells needed to safeguard their house, and sitting down on an armchair, her on his lap.

He kissed her forehead tenderly and then her lips. Something was wrong, he could tell instinctively, he knew her well, very well and he also knew that she would tell him in her own time what was wrong.

Without warning, suddenly tears were gushing down her cheeks and she was clinging to him like a drowning man would cling to a rock.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. I'm here, Lily. It's okay." He soothed, cradling her and her ever growing stomach in his arms.

Pregnancy made Lily weepy. Very weepy.

"I-had- a-a – dream last n-night." She gulped between sobs.

"What about, baby?" He prompted.

"You."

He was secretly elated but decided it would be wise not to actually say so at this point – he still couldn't believe his degree of good fortune in finally getting Lily Evans, Potter, he reminded himself – Lily Potter. Even the slightest sign of her love for him made him want to jump up and down like a little kid in a sweetshop.

"What happened in your dream?"

"Y-you d-died." She stuttered miserably, "Y-you left m-me. Why w-would you l-leave m-me?" She sounds genuinely bewildered, as if this was an actual event not just a dream. He decides not to point this fact out.

"No, no love. I'll never leave you." He said firmly, "Never, okay? I love you, I'm not going anywhere. We'll be together always, me and you and our baby." He laid a hand on her stomach tenderly. She placed hers instantly atop his. "We'll be a family. I'm not dying, Lils. None of us are. We're gonna live, we'll make it, promise."

He was lying, of course – he didn't know that this might be his last day on Earth, he didn't know that one of them might get hurt, he didn't know that no one he knew would die. But he had to believe they would be all okay, he had to keep believing because if he didn't believe that life would get better, well, there would be no point living at all.


	3. Do NOT yell at me

**A/N: I know I said this would be canon - and this pairing is not strictly canon, I just like them together.**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter - does not belong to me.**

64. "Do NOT yell at me!"

Oliver x Alicia

She strode fiercely over the grounds, fuming silently and imagining all sorts of horrible things onto one Oliver Wood. She imagined him being set upon by a herd of rampaging Manticore crabs. She smiled with vindictive satisfaction. It actually made her feel a little better.

It had been a bad day – Quidditch practice had been terrible and Oliver had been furious with his dejected team and ranted at them all for ages in the locker rooms after practice. For some reason, he had then decided to continue to take it out on her after practice.

"What were you doing out there?" He'd questioned angrily.

"Playing Quidditch and ignoring you." She'd retorted sarcastically.

"Well, you can't do that Alicia! This isn't a joke! Play properly or don't play at all! I'll kick you off the team!" He scowled at her, incensed.

"Do NOT yell at me!" She'd screamed back. She was bloody furious, how bloody dare he?

Yes, he was her Quidditch captain and yes, she hadn't played her best but there were others on the team not just her and they had all played badly together. Yes, he could tell her off a bit, but to go off at her like that. That wasn't on. And, as well as being her Quidditch captain – she was his girlfriend. She didn't deserve to be yelled at.

Suddenly, a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her by the arm. She growled menacingly and whirled around to see who had dared to do such a thing, fully prepared to let off steam at whoever it was, in fact…she pretty much already knew who it would be – Oliver sodding Wood.

She tried to pull away from him, struggling valiantly against his iron grip. She failed. She swatted at him arm. He just cocked an eyebrow. She shot him a death glare so strong that if looks could kill he would have dropped dead right there and then. As it was, he looked like he was going to laugh which only fuelled her temper.

Finally, she gave up and stood very still, breathing quickened and still fuming.

"Sorry." He said quietly, gazing into her eyes, "Really, sorry. I shouldn't have said those things."

"No, you shouldn't." Pfft – like she would let him get off that easy. Their relationship was...fiery, to say the least and shouting matches were a regular occurence. This was too much though, how could they be together when all they did was row? When things were good, they were perfect together but they both wanted to be right, were both short tempered and this caused these awful arguments.

He always did manage to win their fights though, a fact which infuriated her beyond belief. Well, he wouldn't win this time. She was all but immune to his charms, honestly. He had to learn that she wouldn't be treated like this. She just prayed he wouldn't give her _that _look which she just couldn't resist.

"Don't be like that Lissy." He pleaded. Oh Merlin - the look.

"Be like w-"

Her words were cut off abruptly as he leaned down and kissed her. Despite herself and berating her lack of self control inwardly, she responded almost instantly.

"I hate you." She murmured as they pulled away. She wanted to pull away and run off. She didn't – she couldn't quite tear herself away from his strong arms, she didn't even particularly want to.

He just laughed.

Idiotic prat. She hated him. She loved him. It was all the same really, wasn't it?


	4. You have to understand

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

27. "You have to understand."

Draco x Scorpius

"Hey champ, ready for Hogwarts?" Draco stuck his head around his son's bedroom door, already wishing that he did not have to do this.

Scorpius was sprawled across his bed, trunk neatly packed at the bottom of his bed and an excited expression plastered across his face. He rolled his eyes, "Duh, Dad. I can't wait 'til the morning!"

Draco smiled, "That's good. Look….Scorp, I have to talk to you about something." He sat down heavily beside Scorpius who sat up in anticipation.

"What is it Dad?"

"It's about the War." Draco began, "I need you to listen and not interrupt. You can ask any questions at the end. Promise?"

Scorpius nodded solemnly, wondering what on earth his dad was on about.

"During the war, the second one, you remember that we told you there were two sides. One side was the dark side, led by a very evil man called Voldemort. The other side was everyone who was strong enough to resist this man and they fought to stop Voldemort seizing power. You remember that Albus Dumbledore died? Well, he was the leader of the good side. When he died, Voldemort managed to take control. It was a very scary year, lots of people were hurt and some even died. Then, remember Potter, remember you were told all about Harry Potter and how he saved us all? Well, you remember that Harry fought Voldemort in a big battle and that Harry won? Well, there is more you should know about this." Draco took a deep breath and savoured the last few seconds where his son thought he was the greatest man in the world. "I was on Voldemort's side."

Scorpius's face changed drastically. He seemed frozen on the spot with horror.

"Grandad and Grandma were supporters as well, they were called Death Eaters. That's why Grandad was in Azkaban. When I was sixteen, they were forced to make me a Death Eater as well. We were powerless, Scorpius, it was join up or die. I was weak. I joined him. You have to understand this, I didn't do it willingly, I was too weak Scorpius. We were all too weak, we wanted to survive."

Scorpius looked like he might throw up; Draco continued determined to prepare his son for what might happen at Hogwarts. Malfoy was a dirty word in the wizarding world.

"I did some horrible things during the war, things I regret deeply. I can never be forgiven for this, but I try. Every day I wish I had not done the things I did. I'm so sorry, so ashamed that I could not be brave, Scorpius. There's one more thing…everyone knows what we…what I…did in the war and…we're not well like, Scorpius. Some people might be horrible to you at Hogwarts…just stay strong."

"Is that it?" Scorpius' voice was hard, like granite.

Draco nodded.

"So, if Dumbledore had not been killed…Voldemort would never have taken control?" Scorpius practically spat the words at his father.

Draco nodded unhappily.

"So, who killed Dumbledore?" He already knew the answer; he just wanted to hear his father say it.

Draco dropped his head. "I all but did."

Scorpius nodded, rolled over onto his stomach and buried his head in his pillow.

Draco pleaded for a while, "Please, Scorp. Talk to me. Let me explain."

"I don't want you to explain – you're not my dad anymore. You've ruined Hogwarts for me, I'll have no friends and no one will like me and it's all your fault!"

"Sorry, Scorp. I'm so sorry."

Scorpius didn't say a word – everything he had believed about his own father was false. His father was a murderer. His father was responsible for so many deaths. His father would burn in hell.

He heard his dad finally leave and only then did he let himself cry. He cried for a long time, hearing the words over and over and over in his head – "I did some horrible things…I was on Voldemort's side…I was too weak…"

Draco leaned heavily against his son's doorframe, tears running down his own cheeks. He regretted his actions every day. He hated himself. He hated himself for hurting his son; never had he meant to hurt Scorpius, his own beloved boy. He was a weak person.

-

The next morning, they ate breakfast in silence, they drove to the station in silence and they stood on the platform in silence. Astoria bid her son farewell unhappily, upset with the family rift.

Draco wanted to say something, wanted his son to talk to him at least, he didn't know what to say. What could he say to make everything alright again? His son was going to endure some awful things, people would use Scorpius as a target for their hate, and he, Draco, would be unable to do anything.

Scorpius turned just as he was about to board the train, "It's okay, Dad. I cant' forgive you yet, but…we all make mistakes."

He turned on his heel and disappeared abruptly.

Astoria squeezed his arm gently, "Told you. I said he'd forgive you."

Draco nodded, tears in his eyes, "We have an amazing son."


	5. These are tears of happiness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Jo Rowling does.**

66. "These are tears of happiness."

Ginny x James

Today was the day. I had been mentally repressing this date for weeks but today it was happening and I could do nothing about it. My first born, my darling son, my James, was going to Hogwarts. I had always thought my own mum was being silly when she cried when we left. Now, I wondered how on earth she had allowed us all to go to Hogwarts.

I knocked on his bedroom door softly. Harry was downstairs trying to explain to a petulant Albus exactly why he couldn't go to Hogwarts yet. Lily was singing a song she had created about fairies. It had very repetitive lyrics. "James?"

"Yeah."

I opened the door, closed it behind me and sat down on his bed. He was sprawled lazily across his bed. With the air of bestowing a great favour, he moved one leg so I would fit. He didn't look nervous at all. He always was so laid back.

"What is it Mum?"

"Just wanted to talk to you before you go." I said, wondering how much he would hate me if I refused to let him go.

"Cool."

"You'll love Hogwarts." His face lit up. It was true. My son was mischievous and bright and cheeky and independent. He would love Hogwarts.

Hogwarts held a lot of memories for me. Not all of them were good. I had made myself go back to every commemoration service. They were held yearly in the grounds to remember those who passed away in the Final Battle. It was hard and horrible and awful but I still went. I had to. I had to try and find new memories that did not involve my older brother leaving me.

I was terrified for my son. The threat of Voldemort had gone years ago. But, in my own first year I had nearly died. What if that should happen to my baby? I don't know what I would do. Hogwarts was safe now, I reminded myself. It was one of the safest places in the world. We were all safe now. Voldemort was gone, I was safe.

"I'm really excited!" He enthused, his eyes dancing.

I smiled tenderly. "Good. But, James?"

"Yes Mum." I could almost hear the mental eye roll.

"Promise me you'll be careful. You know about my own first year. Stay safe, don't do anything stupid and be careful. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. Don't do anything dangerous."

He sighed and nodded.

I took his hand, already not much smaller than my own. I remembered how tiny they had been when he was born, how fragile he had been, Merlin how time passed. "I mean it James. Be careful."

He squeezed my hand gently, "Course I will Mum. He's gone now remember. It's safe now. I'll be fine."

I wondered when my baby boy had gotten so grown up. He was so big, so brave, so like Harry.

"Mu-um, don't cry!" He said giving me that silly indulgent look I remembered giving my own mother when she cried at things like this.

"These are tears of happiness." I protested weakly, brushing the tears away hastily feeling like a chastised child as I did so.

"Yeah right." He scoffed.

"Don't be cheeky." I said feebly. The reproach was ruined when he smiled. He looked just like Harry when he smiled. I could never resist that smile. I think he knew that. "Dad's coming to help you get your trunk in a minute. Okay?"

He nodded. "'Kay."

"See you in a minute." I left.

He was going to be alright. The threat had gone. He would be safe. He would have the most amazing time. I had to let go now.


	6. It hurts

15. "It hurts."

Harry x Lily Luna

Being a father, he had discovered, made one finely attuned to any sound your offspring might make. As such, when he heard frantic sobbing, he knew that it was his daughter, not James or Albus, and by the inflection in the crying, that she had injured herself.

He leapt to his feet, discarding his paperwork, and half ran into the living room. Lily stood in the middle of the floor, crying and clutching her knee. A Muggle toy, all plastic and hard edges, lay conspicuously by her feet.

"D-add-dy!" She sobbed, reaching her tiny arms out to him.

He scooped his four year old daughter up in his arms and took her into the kitchen. Gently setting her on the worktop, he carefully inspected her injury.

"It hurts, Daddy. It's bleeding!" She told him seriously, her lashes wet with tears.

"Hmm..." He pondered, "I think we will have to cut it off."

Her expression turned to one of horror for a split second before she realised that he was joking, she giggled hesitantly. "Silly Daddy."

He gently tapped it with his wand and it healed over.

"All better." He announced.

A tiny crease appeared in her forehead. "No plaster, Daddy. Lily need plaster."

Harry sighed. He seriously regretted buying those blasted Muggle plasters. Ginny thought they were hilarious. His children loved them and insisted on having one for any injury, doubtless of what it was.

He found a sticking plaster in the cupboard, peeled the paper off and attached it to his daughter's, now healed, knee.

"Kiss better!" She demanded.

He sighed, unfortunately she had a way of looking just like Ginny and he could deny her nothing. He suspected that, actually, she was very aware of this fact. He leaned down and kissed the plaster.

"All better." She smiled. He lifted her down.

"Be careful next time." He told her. She nodded solemnly and ran off, the minor injury already forgotten.


	7. No no, I can’t do this!

5. "No- no, I can't do this!"

Molly x Andromeda

She sighed deeply, squeezed her eyes tight shut and then knocked once. Andromeda's voice came from the other side, "Who is it?" She sounded terrified. Molly could imagine her - pressed against the door, wand clutched tightly in her hand, wanting to open the door but dreading who, or what, would be on the other side.

"It's Molly Weasley."

"Prove it! What was the last thing you ever said to me?"

"I said that we would be fine and that I believe Harry will triumph."

The door opened and Andromeda stood there, clutching baby Teddy in her arms. "What happened? Where's Nymphadora?"

Merlin. Molly found herself wondering, for a brief second, why she had volunteered to do this. She remembered almost instantly, only she could depart this news.

"You-Know-Who has been defeated; most of his followers have been rounded up." Molly dodged the last question. "Can I come in?"

Andromeda moved aside to let her in and Molly made her way to the kitchen. Andromeda poured her a cup of tea. Molly slumped into a chair and gratefully accepted the steaming beverage. "Thank you."

"Molly." No more words were needed, Molly knew what she wanted to know.

"She's...she's d-dead. I'm so sorry." Molly said quietly, her voice caught on the words.

"And Remus?" Her voice was calm, too calm. A torrent of emotions was bubbling away under that accepting facade. Molly wondered when it would break.

"He's...gone as well."

Andromeda nodded and her legs crumpled. Molly darted forward, with surprising agility given her size and fatigue, and caught her, plucking Teddy from her arms and helping Andromeda onto a chair. Andromeda's eyes were closed, her face tortured.

"She's gone." Andromeda was repeating the phrase over and over. Her eyes snapped open suddenly. "What will happen to Teddy?"

"They would have wanted you to raise him." Molly said honestly. Teddy needed to be with Andromeda. She needed him and he needed her.

"But... no- no, I can't do this!"

"You can." Molly told her. "Of course you can. You raised Tonks and she needs you to raise her son for her because she can't."

"But... I can't. He's not my son."

"Tonks can't look after him. At least she had a son, at least she loved, at least she lived whilst she still could. There is no one that could do the job, he is your grandson. I would do anything to have a second chance. You are the person she would have wanted to raise him."

There was a screaming silence before Andromeda nodded slowly, "You're right."

They both turned to Teddy, who was lying in a bundle on the table, hair a vivid turquoise and gurgling quietly.

"He won't ever remember them, but no boy will be as loved as he will be. We'll all be there for him." Molly said gently.

"You said something earlier... are you Weasleys all okay? Merlin, please say you're all okay."

Molly shook her head. "He's gone. F-f...gone." She couldn't say his name, not yet, maybe not ever.

Andromeda reached out to take her hands. Without meaning to or really knowing how, both women were suddenly in each others' arms, sobbing together for the children they had lost.

Finally, they pulled apart, both a little embarrassed. Molly wiped her eyes, "It's going to be okay."

Andromeda nodded and hugged Teddy close to her. "I know. We'll make it okay."


	8. Please forgive me

11. "Please forgive me."

Sirius

He thought that perhaps he was a little bit mad. Not insane, like most of the other prisoners, just a little bit out of it. He deserved it though. He deserved to be a bit tortured and lonely and mad. He'd done something awful.

His eyes snapped open. Funny, he hadn't even realised that they were closed. See? Mad. Quite mad.

James Potter, his best friend, stood in front of him.

"James!" He staggered to his feet, grasping for his friend.

James' face morphed into the sort of mocking sneer usually reserved for Slytherins like Snivellus, Sirius cringed under his glare. James disappeared. That confirmed his madness.

James was dead.

He heard a laugh, a very familiar laugh, that of Lily Evans – wife of James and one of Sirius' best friends in the whole world.

He wheeled round. He watched, frozen in horror, as a flicker of light flashed towards her and hit her solidly in the chest. Lily's face grew pained and terrified as she sunk to the ground, vanishing upon making contact.

Lily was dead too, killed by You-Know-Who, the darkest wizard ever to walk the earth, led to Lily and James through the information given to him by Peter Pettigrew, a snivelling, traitorous rat whom they had all trusted and who had once been one of the gang. They had all trusted him, they had not know he was the informer. He, Sirius, had persuaded James to let Peter be the Secret Keeper. And it was Peter who had betrayed them. It was Sirius' doing.

"I'm sorry!" He yelled, hoping they would hear him. "I'm sorry....s-so sorry." His voice faded, his words whipped away by the biting wind.

They couldn't hear him, it was hopeless.

A ghostly whisper... "You killed us."

That hurt like a stab through the chest. He hadn't. He hadn't meant to. He had loved James, loved Lily, loved their son. He hadn't meant to.

"Sorry!" He cried again. "Please forgive me!"

Nothing. Silence. It screamed at him cruelly.

This was another form of punishment. Loneliness. For there was no one out there, the world thought of him as a murderer. He had no friends. No one mourned for Sirius Black.

He sunk to his knees not caring about the muck and filth that coated the floor of his cell. It didn't matter. He'd as good as killed Lily and James. It was his fault.

He hugged his knees to his chest and rocked slightly. "Please forgive me." He muttered, "Please, I'm sorry. Sorry. Forgive me."


	9. It's all over

100. "It's all over."

Harry, Ron and Hermione

The castle lay in pieces around them like some oversized jigsaw. Bodies were being carefully removed from the rubble, the injured were being treated by a bustling Madam Pomfrey who seemed to be everywhere and with everyone all at once. Everywhere he saw death and destruction. People surrounded him, drawn like bees to a honey pot, everyone wanted to share with him their stories of war hardship, to congratulate him, to thank him. It was overwhelming. He just wanted to be with his friends, right now. He would have time to talk to everyone else later. He looked around before spying them a little way away.

He shot them a pleading look and nodded slightly to a quiet corner. They nodded back and followed him through the wreckage to a calmer place, a place hidden away from the bustling business that surrounded them.

"Well done, Harry." Hermione threw herself at him. He caught her and held her for a moment.

"Good job mate. Seriously, though...I thought you were... a goner." Ron gulped and patted him manfully on the shoulder, this would be the only time Ron ever spoke about his feelings upon seeing his best mate supposedly dead. Of course, they didn't know that then, if they had, perhaps they might have talked about it a bit more, confided in one another. But they didn't know.

"So did I." Harry told them. It felt good to say that out loud. He was supposed to be a bit of a hero and not admit to things like that, but it was true. He hadn't ever thought he would win. It hadn't quite sunk in yet. "He's gone now."

"It's all over. We can be normal again." Hermione replied sounding, quite peculiarly, rather sad. "We can live our lives."

"Suppose it'll be boring now." Harry teased.

"Yeah, with no Dark Lord's to defeat... how will we cope?" Ron inserted sarcastically.

Hermione nudged him with her shoulder, "That's not what I meant. It's just...are we still gonna be... you know...us? Now that we're not fighting evil and that." She bit her lip.

Harry found himself laughing. His laughter was a little off but it didn't matter, before long Ron and even Hermione had joined in. It felt good to laugh. He felt freer than he had done in a long time. Voldemort was gone. They were safe. They were all safe. They could lead normal lives, fall in love, go back to Hogwarts, get jobs, get married, have kids...life was going to be good.

"Hermione, I didn't befriend you two because I thought you'd be good at helping me fight evil dark lords." His lips twitched at the words. "I befriended you because you're the sort of people I want to befriend."

"Good." She said solemnly. Then, she flung her arms around the two of them and drew them all together.

"Here's to boring lives!" Ron said suddenly.

They laughed and cheered revelling in the sounds of happiness. Life would be okay. Life would be better.


	10. Oh, come on! You know you want to!

96. "Oh come on! You know you want to!"

James Sirius x Albus Severus

"I really don't know about this..." Albus said worriedly.

"Oh come on! You know you want to!" His older brother insisted before delivering the kill strike. "You aren't scared, are you?"

Albus looked mortified. "Course not."

There was a short pause.

"But what if he catches us?"

James scoffed. "He won't."

Albus paused. "Okay, let's do it."

James grinned and held his hand up for a high five.

Albus slapped his older brother's palm, glad to be included, to be considered cool. James didn't include him much these days.

"Keep watch." James said quietly. "Distract him if he comes. And anyone else." With these final words, he crept out of his room (leaving Albus behind) and down the landing.

Carefully, he pressed down the handle of the door, permitting himself a quick smile when it opened easily. Furtively, he glanced about. The coast was clear. Albus' worried looking head stuck out of his bedroom, he flashed him a quick thumbs up and entered the room.

He had been in here before and made his way to the desk, placed in the furthest corner. He removed the stolen key from his jeans pocket and inserted it into the lock, heart thudding frantically as he did so. His father was one of the world's greatest wizards, what if he had charmed it against intruders? It clicked satisfyingly as he twisted it and, much to his relief, opened smoothly and without problem.

He scanned the contents eagerly. A battered photo album...some paperwork... there it was! He stuffed it up his jumper, locked the drawer and ran out.

Once safely inside his room, Albus nervously and eagerly sitting beside him, he inspected his bounty.

Perfect. He whooped. He'd done it! He'd actually broken into his father's office.

It was worth it though. He was starting Hogwarts soon and he needed to be one step ahead. He was going to be the best troublemaker Hogwarts had ever seen, and to do he needed a leg up, after all, his own grandfather had been a well known prankster and his twin uncles had managed to overtake him in the mischief making stakes. He had a lot of work to do. He needed a little...assistance along the way.

"I can't believe you've got it!" Albus crowed, eyes shining.

"I know."

"Does it work?"

"Yes." James said. "Now go away."

"What?" Albus looked disbelieving. "But... I was look out! You said I could see if I was look out!"

"Well then you're a fool." James laughed, pushing his younger brother out of his room – one of the advantages of being the oldest was that what you said went, and that if the younger ones refused, he was able to forcibly remove them.

He wanted this moment for himself. It wasn't that he didn't love Alb, he did...he just didn't want anyone else to be present. It was a private moment. He'd make it up to Albus later.

Once Albus had gone, and finally ceased whining at the door, James crossed back to his bed and sat cross legged atop the duvet.

With wide eyes, he said ten little words, words that were famous in the Potter-Weasley household, words that he had grown up with, words he had practiced saying to himself thousands of times.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map flickered to life.

Hogwarts better watch out, James Potter was about....and he had the Marauders Map!


	11. He's as bad as they get

**A/N: I'm aiming for daily updates, but I am off school today due to snow (I hate snow, it's put me in a bad mood) so should update a few times!**

**This is random but has anyone else heard Miley Cyrus murder All I Want For Xmas Is You... usually, I think she's okay but god it is awful x)**

23. "He's as bad as they get."

Hogwarts staff

"'Ave you had 'Arry's boy yet?" Hagrid sunk despairingly into his chair, magically enhanced to hold his weight, in the staffroom.

"First." Flitwick squeaked.

"Unlucky." Hagrid moaned. "Mark me words, he's the spit of 'is grandad, the firs' James and Sirius Black, and the Weasley twins come ter think o' it."

"He is. I never thought I'd see the first James Potter bested for mischief. I think the second one has." Flitwick inserted tiredly.

"Surely he can't be that bad." McGonagall wondered. The teachers that had already taught the child in question nodded in perfect unison. "Merlin..." She moaned. "He's got the genes of James Potter and the Weasley twins coupled with the brilliance of his parents and the combined knowledge of his whole family. He's lethal."

"Merlin, help us all. I've already caught him trying to stuff a student's head in a Mandrake plant... a Slytherin, I think." Professor Sprout said weakly. "Had to give him detention. Didn't even faze him, said he'd already had one so I 'wasn't his first'. He seemed proud, the little blighter."

"First lesson of Charms and we are practicing levitating feathers. When they all went up in flames the first time, I thought he'd made an honest mistake. When they all rose simultaneously and flew, pointed end first, at an unfortunate Slytherin student... I was a little suspicious. When they attacked a second Slytherin student, I began to suspect something was amiss. When one rose up and wrote 'Slytherin stinks' on the board, and then on various Slytherin students, I knew we had a troublemaker on our hands, a prankster like no other. I gave him detention, apparently it's his third this week."

The other teachers wore varying expressions of horror, terror, nausea, faintness, dread and ill disguised humour (McGonagall, she wasn't Head of Gryffindor technically but her heart would always reside with the house).

"Is he really that bad?" McGonagall attempted.

"He's as bad as they get." Flitwick said solemnly.

"Merlin, help us." Sprout repeated. "Help us all."


	12. Honestly, do you get stupider every day?

20. "Honestly, do you get stupider every day?"

Teddy x Victoire

"It's none of your business who I date!" She shrieked angrily. Her hair was wild around her face. She looked dangerous.

Teddy automatically took a large step back, painfully aware of the fact that her wand was in her left hand and he was within target range. "I'm not telling you who to date; I'm just saying that that Fitch Fletchly guy is bad news."

"It's not up to you who I date." She snapped. Sparks flew from the tip of her wand, it distracted her momentarily as she looked at it in confusion.

"Look, are you even old enough to date?" The second the words were out of his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake. Her eyes darkened noticeably. Merlin. He tried to backtrack. "Look, Vic, I didn't mean it like tha-"

She cut him off. "I am fifteen years old. I am plenty old enough to date. As I remember it, you were thirteen when you first went out with a girl and did I complain? No, I did not. In fact, if memory serves, I congratulated you, back you up all the way and then comforted you when she dumped you on your stupid, moronic ass!" She punched him on the shoulder.

"Ouch! Vic, I'm sorry. I just don't think you should waste your time on guys like him... you should wait for someone better."

"It's not up to you. For all you know he might be the one." She folded her arms.

"He's not." He denied flatly, he couldn't see her wand - but she still had it. She was an accomplished spell caster and he was unarmed and defencless. The only escape was to try and talk her down.

"You don't know that."

"I do and so do you."

"Fine, so maybe he's not the one. But I'm not waiting around until y- I mean, he finally wakes up and sees that I am right here!"

His curiously was piqued – Vic liked someone! She had said 'he', she knew who it was. He thought it through...maybe it was that Ravenclaw Quidditch captain she had once admitted was good looking. The thought was accompanied by a weird stabbing pain. It unnerved him. He'd never felt it before. Maybe he was getting ill? "He? Who is it, Vic? Someone at this school?"

"Honestly, do you get stupider every day?"

He was confused, firstly the funny sensation had grown and secondly, why was Vic so off with him? She'd been funny around him recently, quieter, snappier. She'd gone off at him for even the littlest remarks. And then, out of nowhere, she'd announced that she was dating some Hufflepuff freak. "No."

"Then why don't you know?" She was angry and he didn't know why. He didn't know what she was getting at and, because he didn't understand, she was getting madder and madder by the second.

"Know what?"

"That I'm completely in love with you, you idiot!" She shrieked at him, still enraged.

Stunned silence fell as she reeled in horror at what she had just revealed and he tried to wrap his head around the words. Vic – childhood friends and longtime best mate...was in love...with him? That was unexpected. What was more unexpected was the fact that his heart was thudding with...joy and seemed to have swelled to twice it's usual size and that he was seeing Vic with whole new eyes and that he had a sudden inexplicable urge to kiss her.

So he did.


	13. I will wait for you

**A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying my writing!**

89. "I will wait for you."

Teddy x Victoire

"So...I guess I'll see you at Christmas then." He said slowly with his hands buried deep in his pockets.

She nodded. "Guess so. I'll...I'll miss you." She flushed scarlet.

He grinned, "I'll miss you too, Vic. I'll write every day, promise."

"No, you won't!" She teased, "You always say that and you always forget. You said you'd get me a going away present as well and you didn't."

"Oh. Yeah." Teddy shuffled his feet. "I think I might have...yeah, probably at home."

Victoire giggled. Teddy was her best friends, part time boyfriend and incredibly forgetful. She was also a little bit; okay... a lot in love with him. He sort of knew that, she tended to hide it well though. After all, he was a year older and about five years older in terms of maturity. She was still a school girl, he wouldn't really be interested in her.

She pulled away from her thoughts to find Teddy suddenly much closer than he had been before.

"Um. Hello." She said in a tiny voice.

He leaned down and kissed her. He kissed her like he had never done before. It was a serious kind of kiss, the type that takes your breath away and makes you want to squeal like a kid with excitement.

"Um. Wow." She said in a dazed fashion.

He smirked, "That was your going away present."

"Hmm." She mused, "Now that beats a new quill any day."

He laughed once and then was serious again. "You know...I didn't plan on telling you this now. I was gonna wait, but you're off to Hogwarts without me and you're so beautiful all the boys will be all over you and you'll fall for one of them and I'll have missed my chance." He spoke very quickly, his eyes not quite meeting hers, was that a faint blush on his cheeks? She was intrigued and a little hopeful; she squashed the flare of hope. He wasn't going to profess undying love or anything; he was probably going to say that they couldn't continue with this part time love affair thing. The thought made her miserable.

"And, well...I just wanted to say that I'm in love with you, Vic." His eyes crept up to hers. She blinked. "I have been for a while now and I know that we sort of pretend to date and I know that you didn't want anything serious, especially with someone like me...but, I want to be with you properly. I love you."

"I love you too." She said and then threw herself at him.

He caught her and kissed her again.

"Eurgh!" A familiar voice interrupted them. "What are you doing?"

Victoire growled and pulled away – James Potter, most irritating of all her cousins.

"I'm saying goodbye." Teddy told him in a tone that implied it should be obvious.

"I'm telling!" He ran off. Victoire cursed under her breath.

"You don't mind, do you? Because I could stop him, if you want."

Victoire shook her head, "They'll find out soon enough, might as well be now whilst they're all here."

"I have to go now." He said regretfully, "If I'm late, my boss will kill me. Write me when you get there. I'll write back, promise."

She nodded. There was a pause. "Ted... you won't... move on, you know, when I'm at school...will you?"

Teddy chuckled. "Are you kidding? I couldn't move on if I wanted to, I'm head over heels Vic. Uncle Harry's always teasing me about it...I will wait for you. Promise."

She smiled, "'Kay. Love you." She stretched up to kiss him again before climbing aboard the train, which was already preparing to leave the station.

Teddy waved once, blew a kiss and then departed into the crowd. His mind was still reeling – she loved him, she actually loved him. Victoire Weasley was finally his!


	14. Remind me why I married you again?

33. "Remind me why I married you again?"

James x Lily

"You do realise, I'm about to have our child and we don't even have a name for it." Lily said one night, cradling her huge stomach.

James looked up, "Actually, we do. Me and Sirius thought of it ages ago."

Lily sighed inwardly. "And this name is?"

"Elvendork!" James beamed proudly.

Lily pursed her lips. James continued to smile inanely as if he had just saved a child from a burning building or something. After a few moments, he seemed to notice her expression.

"What? What's wrong with it?" He demanded. He folded his arms.

"What is right with it?" She countered.

"It's perfect. It's original and no one else is going to have a name anything like it, are they? Mark my words, with a name like Elvendork this kid is going to be famous!"

Lily resisted the urge to hit him. "I am not naming any child of mine Elvendork."

"That child is half mine." James said stubbornly.

"And?"

"Well, I will call my half Elvendork and you can call your half something normal and boring." He pulled a face.

"No child of mine will ever be called Elvendork." Lily repeated again.

"My half will be."

"There are no halves! There is one child. And it will not be called Elvendork. I have lugged it about for nine ruddy months, I have endured the swollen ankles and cravings for things I don't even like! And I have not complained even once! This child is not Elvendork. No child of ours will ever be Elvendork." She had intended her words to be serious. However, the constant repetition of Elvendork tipped her over the edge. She smiled faintly and then, with some difficulty, suppressed any outward signs of humour.

"I still like Elvendork." He muttered sulkily.

"No."

"Hey!" His face brightened. Lily screamed silently. "It could be like a... nickname!" He looked so proud and so pleased with himself that she had to laugh.

She bursts into fits of laughter. "Remind me why I married you again?" She managed between chuckles.

"Cos you love me." He said soppily.

"I think it was because you basically stalked her until she did." A third voice inserted helpfully.

Both looked around. Sirius stood in the doorway. "Hey Prongs, tell her about the name yet?"

James nodded, "She didn't go for it."

Sirius looked disbelieving. "It's an amazing name! Elvendork – its unisex as well, you know."

Lily glared at them both.


	15. I'll never let you go

53. "I'll never let you go."

Draco x Astoria

Her parents had all but disowned her when she had told them she was dating Draco Malfoy. They had cut off all contact and stopped her monthly allowance. She had said she didn't care and that she didn't need them or their money and then cried in his arms every night for a week.

Her friends had said she was stupid and crazy. Her very best friend had told her she had made a huge mistake in dating a convicted Death Eater and no longer even spoke to her. She had told them she knew what she was doing and then avoided him for a few days trying to clear her head enough to work out if she did really know what she was doing.

Her sister had told her to stop rebelling against her parents, break up with him, admit she had done wrong and come home. She had said that she was staying with him and that it wasn't rebellion, it was love. She had come home to him and wondered if it really was love.

No one wanted them to be together.

She understood their concerns. Her boyfriend was a convicted Death Eater who had served time in Azkaban.

Sometimes, in the dark of the night, when he lay by her side fast asleep, she wondered if they were right. Perhaps she was making a mistake. And then, he would shudder and shake and scream, haunted by horrific images of what he had seen and done and he would reach for her and she would take him in her arms and kiss him and smooth his hair back and murmur soothing words until he fell back asleep.

"It's okay, Draco. I'm here. I'll never let you go." She'd whisper. He'd nod like a child, his eyes already closing.

And it was then, when he was vulnerable and needed her, that she realised that she never would let him go. She was his and he was hers and they were meant to be.


	16. We cannot lose this battle

59. "We cannot lose this battle."

Hogwarts students

The Battle was imminent. Threat and fear and suspense hung in the air. People rushed around blocking up entrances to the castle, going over spells and enchantments and curses they needed, teachers and members of the Order placed Shield Charms over as many people and places as possible. The Castle bustled with activity.

Sprout grabbed Professor McGonagall's arm, "I've just seen Creevey, I've told him to leave but I don't think he's listened. Make sure he gets out, he's too young to die."

Minerva nodded in response. "They're all too young to die." She said with more than a touch of despair.

Sprout nodded. "I have to go now...but, well...if I don't make it then it was good to know you. Minerva."

Minerva nodded choked with emotion. "Good luck."

"You too."

Sprout dashed off. McGonagall surveyed the Great Hall. Clusters of students stood chatting nervously, practicing spells or simply standing in silence.

She strode with grim determination to the Great Table. Silence descended.

She had never been a leader but now they needed one. These were her students and she had to protect them and help them. They needed her, they needed encouragement and motivation and fighting talk. She had to give it to them.

She paused for a long moment trying to find the right words. When they came, they came seemingly from nowhere, they didn't seem to be her words. She didn't know where they came from, she couldn't even stop them, some small part of her thought that perhaps it was Albus, speaking through her from wherever he was, trying to help his students still.

"This will not be an easy Battle. It will be hard and dangerous and bloody. Voldemort is strong, very strong, but we are stronger. We are stronger because we are fighting for what is right. Voldemort and his followers are evil and dark, we cannot let evil pollute our world. We have to fight together, alone we can do nothing, together we can win. So, let us fight together, let us take care of one another, let us protect each other's backs. We have to believe that we can win, we have to believe that Harry will triumph. For we have to win, we cannot lose this battle. We cannot lose. Good luck."

She would never have anticipated what happened next. From somewhere within the hall, a single student rose and began clapping. A mere second passed before every single student was on his or her feet and cheering and clapping. The words had done their job.

She prayed desperately that they would be okay. They had to be okay. They had to win. If they didn't, the consequences would be horrific.

She looked around, seeing faces she knew and recognised. Some of those faces might not survive. The thought was scary, very scary.

Merlin. Merlin, help them. Help us all.


	17. You can't have everything

2. "You can't have everything."

James Potter x Sirius Black

McGonagall sighed wearily and pushed her glasses firmly up her thin nose. "Come in." She called.

The door to her office swung open and James Potter and Sirius Black swaggered in, both trying and failing to hide grins.

"Sit d-" She began.

"We know, Minnie." Black said sitting down in the only chair opposite her. Potter conjured himself a vivid pink armchair and sat down on it. They both assumed innocent expressions.

She decided to let the Minnie nickname go, she didn't have the energy to fight them today. "So...boys, you decided it would be funny to lock Mr Filch out of Hogwarts?"

"Yeah." They said in unison, eyes widening with glee.

"And, in the same day decided to lock all of the house elves in a cupboard so that the evening meal could not be prepared in time?"

"They wanted the day off?" Black offered.

"It was a project." Potter said decisively. "Transfiguration."

"You used that one last week, Black. And Potter, I am your Transfiguration teacher and I can assure you that that was not your homework." She reminded them. Potter's face fell.

"You then put something in the Slytherin water jugs so that during the evening meal, they all rose and began singing..." She paused and her lips thinned. "Gryffindor rules, Slytherin snakes stink."

Black snickered. "That was a good one. C'mon, that's funny!"

"And it has alliteration in it!" Potter said happily. He turned to Sirius and they high fived, still chuckling.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

"It was for you Professor. We know how much you love Gryffindor." James said earnestly.

"Two weeks detention." She said tiredly. "That'll be all."

James groaned. "But Professor..."

"Surely that doesn't deserve two weeks." Black inserted. "We only got one week last time we bewitched the Slytherins."

"You did not just bewitch the Slytherins." She said disapprovingly. "And anyway..." She grinned suddenly. "You got caught."

Their expressions turned confused, bewildered and then amused. Sirius laughed suddenly, a short disbelieving bark.

"You may go." She said, turning back to her pile of ungraded essays.

They rose in perfect unison and left.

Sirius turned to James. "Did Minnie just make a joke?"

"I believe so."

"And did she honestly say that bewitching the Slytherins wasn't the problem, getting caught was?" Sirius continued.

"I believe so."

"And we only got two weeks detention?"

"Two weeks is ages." James reminded him.

Sirius nodded and then grinned. "Ah well... you can't have everything."

**A/N: Wow - third update of the day! I can't promise anything but I want to finish this and I still have over eighty left so I will attempt daily updates. Please do keep reviewing! Thanks.**


	18. Just go

**A/N: Okay, I was going to stop at three. But I changed my mind. I'm planning just one more today - five updates deserves some reviews, right? ;)**

47. "Just go."

Draco x Astoria

"Fine!" She screeched at him. "Just go! See if I care!"

He hung his head. "Astoria, I'm sorry. Look, I didn't mean to make you upset-"

She cut him off, red with anger. "You didn't mean to upset me? I gave up everything for you. Everything! My family don't talk to me, my friends hate me, my own sister walked out on me. I didn't care because I had you and now you think that maybe we're not supposed to be? Now you tell me." She threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

"I didn't say we weren't supposed to be. Just that I think it would be better for you if you didn't see me anymore. I'm not good for you, Astoria. My name is mud, I don't want you to be dragged into it."

"I'm already dragged into it you idiot." She snapped. She turned her back on him and folded her arms.

"Merlin, Astoria. I've ruined everything."

"Yeah, you have."

"But you're better off without me. You're good, too good for me. I don't deserve you."

"And what about me? What is it exactly that you think I deserve? Because I thought that I deserved to be with the person I loved but if that isn't what you think, well...I wouldn't want to go against what you say." She said sarcastically.

"You love me?" He said in stunned disbelief.

"Of course I do you self centred idiot. You think I'd give up everyone else for someone I didn't love as much as I love you?"

"N-no."

There was a long silence.

Draco broke it, speaking in a small voice, "I'm sorry."

"That's it?" She whirled round angrily to face him.

"Urm...yes."

Wrong answer. He knew the very second the words were out of his mouth that he had said the wrong thing.

"You're an idiot." She told him.

"Yes."

That threw her for a moment. "So, Draco, tell me. Tell me the truth. Do you want to be with me?"

"Of course I do. I love you."

"Good. Then what's the problem. I have given up everything for you. There's no going back." She said matter of factly.

"But-" He protested.

She held a finger up warningly and he stopped. "Don't you dare give me that you're-better-off-without-me crap. I don't need it. I'm not better off without you at all, I need you."

"I need you too." He took a step towards her. She sent him a look and he froze.

"Of course you do." She said as if it were obvious. "Now, you idiot, I'm going to kiss you and then go back to ignoring you for a few hours. However, flowers may make me talk sooner."

He nodded hastily. She closed the gap between him and pressed her lips against his. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist so she couldn't pull away.

"Love you." He murmured against her lips.

"I know." She pulled away and rested her head against his chest, hugged him close for a long moment and then pushed him away.

"I'm just going out a moment love." He grinned.

She merely looked away, he Apparated out of their flat and her lips twitched into a smile. He was an idiot but he was her idiot.


	19. I've been here waiting

90. "I've been here waiting."

Arthur x Molly

She had sat by his bedside every single day. The Healers said that there was nothing they could do. It was ironic that he had spent his whole life loving Muggle things and his killer would be a Muggle disease. He had dementia. Her Arthur was going to die.

The family took it in turns to visit. He had been here for two weeks now. Two agonising, painful weeks. She had remained here the whole time, leaving only to eat. The others visited when they could, they had jobs and children and spouses and a million other things to do. She understood. Their lives couldn't stop because their father or uncle or cousin or father-in-law or grandfather was ill. Hers had though. She had no reason to leave his bedside. Only one thing would make her walk away. His death.

She knew it was imminent. He spent less and less time awake now. The Healers said that that was normal. Eventually, he would just slip away. It would be painless, they had assured her, that gave her a very small measure of comfort.

She had never experienced dementia before. It was a cruel disease. Sometimes when Arthur was awake, he didn't know her. That hurt the most. It hurt more than any pain she had ever experienced or any pain she could even imagine.

It had begun with him simply forgetting little things. She had put it down to old age. Finally, one day when she had walked into the kitchen and he had had no idea who she was, she had made him go to St Mungo's. They had taken a long time to diagnose him. That was normal though, they always checked for wizarding diseases first before checking for any Muggle diseases.

The Muggles didn't have a cure either.

The disease had progressed at an alarming pace. Soon Arthur forgot people's names, muddled up the names of his children and grandchildren, he became confused, he got angry because he couldn't remember.

He had good days of course. He had days when he remembered everything. He had days when he didn't remember so much but they were with the family, the whole family, and he was blissfully content even if he couldn't quite remember everyone's names.

It had been hard for them all. The grandchildren, bless them, were either too young to understand or too old to be told that everything would be alright. The children, including the adopted ones, had struggled to come to terms with things. She herself had tried to pretend nothing was wrong. She had lied to them all a few times, it was for their own good. They didn't need to know how bad things had got towards the end. A lot of the time it was just her and Arthur, when it was just the two of them she could see how bad Arthur really was. Although he didn't always remember things, he seemed to instinctively know that he must keep the facade up in front of family. He was always better when they were there. She didn't know if that was purely by chance or if Arthur just pretended to them or if he really was better when they were there. When they were alone, the mask slipped and he was just a very ill, old man again.

Of course, they had all had a heart breaking moment. Usually they would come to her and cry and rage and scream and sob. She would shed a few tears as well at how unfair it was. It was unfair for them all. But then, life isn't fair.

The heart breaking moments varied from person to person. For some, like Percy or Ron, it was when Arthur simply had no idea who they were. For Bill it was when his father was convinced that he was his brother, not his son. For Ginny it was when her Dad picked up her son, Albus, not knowing Ginny was there and frowned. "I've no idea who you are. But you're a mighty pretty baby." He had said. Ginny had stumbled into the kitchen and cried for an hour. Molly had said nothing. She knew how bad Arthur was, the others didn't.

She looked at him now. He was much thinner than he had been. His hair grew in sparse tufts completely grey now. Wrinkles were carved alarmingly deep into his skin. He looked fragile and oh so, old. Her Arthur, her love, was an old man now.

She slipped her hand into his. His eyes flickered open. She smiled.

"Arthur." She said softly.

"Molly?" He said slowly, his throat dry.

"Yes, love. I'm here."

"Where am I?" He sounded confused. Not dementia confused, just normal confused.

"In hospital. You've been here a long time."

"Where have you been? I couldn't find you. I looked and looked but...you weren't there." He sounded upset.

"I was always there, love. I've been here waiting for you. I'll wait forever, I'll always be here."

He relaxed. "I know. I probably didn't look properly."

She smiled gently. "Probably not."

"Molls, what's wrong with me?" He said slowly.

She paused.

"What is it, Molly? Please." He continued.

"You're ill Arthur, very ill." Tears formed in her eyes.

There was a long silence. "I knew it was something like that." He managed. "I love you, Molly. I love you. Always have, always will."

"I love you too Arthur." She said, tears running down her face.

He managed to squeeze her hand gently before he slipped into sleep again. She pulled a handkerchief from her bag and wiped her eyes. She leaned back into her chair again. She'd keep waiting, he'd wake up again and when he did, she'd be there.

**A/N: In loving memory of my grandfather, I love you, I miss you. Rest in peace.**


	20. We have to tell them

**A/N: I know, I know. . . I did say I would attempt daily updates and then didn't update for three days. I'm a bad person, okay. And I suddenly had a load of stuff to do. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: Ain't mine.**

34. "We have to tell them."  
George x Angelina

She wasn't ashamed of her boyfriend. She loved him very much, she loved his family and he liked hers as well and they were pretty much perfect for each other. It was just... well; things hadn't gone quite to plan.

She had met him, and his twin, on the first day of Hogwarts. They had cornered her in a carriage and talked non-stop until they reached the school where they had announced her to be their girl best friend forever. They hadn't left her alone since.

After a few days, when she had gotten used to the volume and speed of the twins, she had found that she really liked them both. They had been firm friends ever since.

It was about fifth year when she had realised that she quite liked one of them in a way that was entirely different to the way she liked the other one. They'd gone to the Yule Ball together and danced all night. They'd sort of fallen into a sort of relationship. It hadn't been overly serious but it felt right. So right.

He'd left her, of course, it was inevitable. Ran off with his twin to set up a business, he had written every day though. He had promised that when she left Hogwarts they would be together for real. She had replied that they were already real and that he'd better meet her off the Hogwarts train in July or else she would never kiss him again.

The War had thrown their plans into chaos. She had gone into hiding and the twins had followed suit. Those were terrifying days and in between learning as much defensive magic as she could and worrying about the safety of her parents and kid brother and wondering how safe she would be at school...she had worried non-stop about him and where he was and whether he was even alive.

She had seen him at the Final Battle. He had pulled her into a corner, kissed her full on the mouth and told her, "Come back alive or I'll never forgive you, babe."

She'd responded simply, "You didn't meet me off the train, you idiot. That was probably the last kiss you'll ever get. And, if you die, I'll hate you forever. Love you Fred."

He'd grinned cheekily. "Love you too Johnson baby."

-

She placed a hand protectively on the slight bulge of her stomach. He noticed.

"We have to tell them sometime, Ange. We can't hide this anymore. You're pregnant now, they won't hate you, you know. I thought we'd gotten over this. I don't mind that you were his first and he's probably rooting for us right now, they won't mind either. "

"I know. I know." She said. "Just...a few more days okay, then we'll tell your family. All of them."

"Course, love. Whatever makes you happy." He drew her close and kissed her forehead and pulled his arms around her protectively. "Love you."

"I love you too, George."


	21. That was awkward

36. "That was... awkward."

Harry x Ginny

He didn't really know quite how it had happened. Ginny had come over to his flat to have dinner. He'd ordered out for Chinese (her secret love) and they'd eaten and chatted and kissed occasionally. It had been a really average and really amazing night, as any time spent with her was. He was just clearing their plates.

He walked back into the living room and blinked once.

Ginny was standing in the middle of the room in just her underwear. It didn't cover a whole lot. His body reacted quicker than his mind did, luckily. He all but flew across the room and his mouth found hers.

Things had progressed from there. He later felt slightly embarrassment that their first time was in his living room.

Afterwards, she had curled up next to him on the sofa. Her hair was mussed in a way that made him want to actually grab her right there and then. She hadn't bothered putting any clothes back on, just brought his duvet down from upstairs and wrapped it around them.

She smiled. "I've been waiting for so long for that. You're such a gentleman." She smirked. "I thought I'd make the first move."

He laughed out loud. "It worked." She leaned over and kissed him full on the mouth. She crawled onto his lap, straddling him.

He was suddenly no longer tired, it didn't matter that he had work in the morning or that he had work to do now or that she had training in the morning or that he was incredibly tired. All that mattered right then was her.

Suddenly, the fire flared and Ron fell out of the fireplace.

"Hey Ha-" He choked on his words.

"Hey Ron." Ginny said, now sitting beside Harry with the covers pulled up to her neck.

"Hey." Harry ventured.

"You....Gin...baby sister...no..." Ron seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

"Yeah." Ginny said airily. "Stuff happens Ron, you should know. I know all about you and Hermione."

Ron flushed a deep red. Harry frowned slightly, he hadn't known about that. "I'm going." Ron said casting a dark look at Harry. "We'll talk later mate. And Ginny, just...just put some clothes on."

"'Kay, will do, bye." Ginny said. Ron disappeared very quickly back into the fireplace.

"Well...that was...awkward." Harry said.

Ginny burst into fits of laughter. "I know. Ron always did have a knack for choosing the wrong moments." She leaned across to Harry. "Now...where were we?"


	22. Please, please say no, please

93. "Please... please say no... please..."  
Ginny x Bill

She stumbled through the wreckage of the castle, tears blurring her eyes. She wasn't sure whether it was relief or shock or terror or a combination of them all that made her cry. She felt ashamed of her tears. That was why she had walked away. Ginny Weasley didn't cry, especially not in public.

She cried because she had been so scared, so very terrified when Harry had confronted Voldemort. And he had won, so she cried in celebration and joy. She cried because the war was over and she was safe and alive. She cried because she didn't have to hide anymore. She cried because she was so relieved that she had survived (because in the midst of the battle, when curses were being thrown at her and only just missing and buildings crumbled around her and bodies hit the ground with sickening thumps, she hadn't thought she would ever get out alive). She cried because she had seen something, something awful and she didn't know whether it was true, it couldn't be true.

If it was true, well...she didn't know what she would do. And that was the second, biggest reason she had walked away. If she didn't go back, she would never know if it was true or not. She could pretend, at least for a little while, that she had seen wrong.

It couldn't be true.

"Ginny! Gin!"

She heard her name being called. She didn't look up.

Bill caught her arm and swung her into a hug. He held her too tightly, crushing the air out of her but she didn't complain, she didn't care.

She prayed, prayed desperately, that it was relief that made him hold her so tightly and made him cry into her hair.

"It's not true, is it?" She said weakly. Her voice was strained and fragile.

Bill hugged her even tighter. He said nothing.

"Please... please say no... please...Bill," she begged. "Say it's not true."

Bill pulled away from her and held her shoulders. "Gin. He's...he's gone."

Her legs crumpled and Bill caught her just before she hit the ground. She couldn't cry anymore because tears weren't enough to express how she was feeling.

Tears were for when you were ecstatically happy or if you'd had a bad day or had hurt yourself.

Tears weren't enough to grieve, tears didn't express precisely how much it hurt when someone you loved died, tears weren't enough because he had gone. Fred had gone.


	23. It's no good

25. "It's no good!"

Molly x Arthur

They had a shotgun wedding. Not many people knew that because Bill was actually born almost exactly nine months after their wedding day. He could have been a honeymoon baby. Or just three weeks late.

She had always wanted to be a mother. Always.

When they first handed her Bill she had never seen anything so perfect. She had gazed in wonder at him for hours on end, marvelling at how amazing and perfect this little human being was.

She had never wanted just the one and it's only a year later when she feels broody again. She wants to hold a newborn in her arms again, she wants a brother or sister for Bill, she wants a new baby. She talks to her Arthur, who agrees almost instantly and nine months later Charlie is born.

Charlie is so different to Bill. He's naughtier and much more independent. He's a free spirit and loves to be outdoors. He's perfect.

Deep down, she knows that it is so selfish to bring a child into this world, the war has started and everyone is scared and no one knows if they're going to make it to tomorrow. This world is dangerous and dark and scary and filled with fear and death and violence. But she craves a little girl to make her family complete.

It takes four years before they finally get around to actually having a baby, after all Bill and Charlie are just babies who still need a lot of mothering and they feel that there's no rush. Neither of them voice the real reason – they hope the war will be over soon.

Then the Potters narrowly escape death at the hands of You-Know-Who and people they know are getting injured and they recognise names in the lists of the dead and they realise that actually, there is a rush. They don't know if they will be next. They have to seize every opportunity and cherish every minute.

And so, she delivers Percy. He's quieter and even from a very young age, it's obvious he's clever. He's going to be the brains of the family. He's perfect.

She had intended to stop there. Three was enough, clearly they weren't meant to have a girl and that was okay with her. She had her three perfect boys and she needs nothing else.

But, she falls pregnant again accidentally and when the Mediwitch tells her its twins she practically faints. She can't have twins. She has three children already – Bill, the oldest, is only eight. Merlin, for once, she is completely unprepared.

Of course, the second they are placed into her waiting arms, she feels a huge rush of love and she doesn't care that they are the naughtiest, most mischievous children she has ever met or that she can't really cope with all five of them or that they have gone from having hardly any money to just about making ends meet because two babies are more expensive than one. It doesn't matter. She always did want a big family.

The twins grew up fast and soon she didn't have a baby to hold in her arms. Her babies were growing up and they didn't want cuddles or kisses or to be smothered in unconditional love. She just wanted another baby. A girl would be nice but she has five boys who she loves, so it doesn't matter either way. She has Ron and he is the cutest baby she has ever seen. And she thinks this is it. Enough now.

On one of those rare days when Arthur is home and they can all be together and pretend like nothing is happening and that the outside world doesn't exist, she surprises herself with an outburst of emotion.

"It's no good!" She cries, slamming a full tureen of soup down on the worktop. Some slops over the side and lays, almost accusingly, on the counter.

Arthur looks up startled from his seat at the kitchen table. She can hear the boys playing together in the other room, for once they aren't fighting or arguing or teasing each other. "What isn't love?" He asks. "The soup looks fine to me."

"It's not the soup. It's me!" She wails with more than a touch of melodrama. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I have a girl?"

"I thought we'd agreed to stop now, Molly dear." Arthur says.

"I know." She says miserably. "But I always wanted a little girl..." She trails off, feeling embarrassed at her stupid outburst. After all, she already has six beautiful, healthy, happy boys. She doesn't need a girl. She's just being silly.

Arthur is at her side and taking his hands in hers and looking into her eyes. Something there obviously changes his mind. "One more time, Molly. Let's get us a girl." And she grins and throws her arms around his neck.

And nine months later, in a crowded hospital room, as she shrieks curses and beads, no rivers, of sweat run down her face, she thinks, this it it. No more. I can't do this again.

One last scream, one last push, she can't do this. She doesn't have the strength to do this, the pain is too much, she can't do this, she can't...

Baby cries fill the air and the Mediwitch says those three magic words.

"It's a girl!"


	24. You know you want me

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP.**

38. "You know you want me."  
Bill x Fleur

They'd met at Gringotts.

He'd decided, on a whim, to check his meagre bank account before a meeting with his boss. He'd been standing in line, surveying the bank when a flash of blonde hair caught his eye. There, sitting at one of the accountants desk, was the prettiest damn accountant he'd ever seen. Technically speaking one didn't go to an accountant to gain access to your bank account; you saw a goblin on the Accounts Desk.

Screw that; he wanted to talk to her.

"Hey, I was just wondering if you could help me..." He trailed off as she looked up. She was, no contest, the hottest, no...the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his whole life.

"Yes?" She said throatily. She was French.

"I want to deposit something into err..." His mind filled with innuendoes and he tried desperately to think of something that wasn't dirty. "My account." He managed, she threw him a what-the-hell-are-you-on look. "I want to put some money into my account."

"I cannot 'elp you here. Zis is accountants." She explained. Maybe it was just the ego talking but was that disappointment in her eyes?

He threw caution to the wind. "Hey, you fancy getting coffee sometime?" He rubbed the back of his neck like he tended to do when he was nervous or embarrassed or both.

She looked bemused. "Wiz' a total stranger?"

"Oh. Yeah, I'm Bill. Bill Weasley." He stuck his hand out for her to shake.

"I am Fleur. Fleur Decalour." She took his hand timidly.

"So...coffee?"

"I'd like zat." She smiled. "You need to go over zere for money deposits." She gestured at the Accounts Desks. "You obviously don't come 'ere often."

Aha – if only she knew!

Suddenly, with damn good timing, his boss stuck his head out of his office door a few feet away.

"Oh, Weasley. There you are, c'mon let's get this over with." His boss disappeared.

Fleur raised an eyebrow. "So...maybe you do come 'ere often."

"Yeah, maybe." Bill grinned.

"So, you didn't come 'ere because you were, 'ow you say...confused." She continued in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Erm...no."

"So you lied about zis?"

"Technically no, I didn't actually say that I didn't work here."

"You 'eally are a most insufferable...." She fished for the most insulting English word she knew. "Prat!"

He grinned cockily. "Whatever, you know you want me, Decalour. I'll pick you up at six, when you knock off." He strode away and into his boss' office, sneaking a quick glance back at her.

She looked completely and utterly bulldozed. He smirked. She seemed to regain her composure. And then, so fleetingly he could have blinked and missed it, she gave a tiny grin.


	25. That wasn't fair

**Disclaimer: It's Jo Rowling's okay. Not mine.**

39. "That wasn't fair."  
James x Lily

Lily Evans was a tease. A complete and utter tease. She'd said she wanted to wait awhile before they slept together. She'd said it was a really big deal for her and she wanted to get to know him properly first. He was okay with that. Hell, he'd only just got her. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardise that. If she wanted to wait, well then, he'd wait.

What he hadn't anticipated was how much of a tease she was. She wandered around their Head's Common Room wearing not very much and a knowing smirk. The other day she'd come down from her room in just his Quidditch sweater. After a brief moment of wondering where the hell she'd gotten that from, he'd remembered that his hot girlfriend was wearing only his jumper and then he'd tried very hard not to think about it.

"Hey." She'd said, sitting down beside him.

"Hey." He'd said, trying to avoid looking at her legs.

Quite unexpectedly, he'd pulled his face to hers and kissed him more passionately than she ever had before. He'd crushed her to him, pulled her onto his lap, ran his hands through her hair and over her back and waist and...

"Stop." She'd said, pulling away. Her hair was mussed and her eyes bright. "We shouldn't get carried away."

He'd nearly cried with disappointment. She'd moved away, picked up her Transfiguration homework and continued like nothing had happened. He'd spent a really long time trying not to look at her legs or think about their kiss or how amazing she'd felt pressed up against him or how amazing she would look with her legs wrapped around his waist, his...STOP. He'd cut that thought off dead in its track.

He thought he may have made an involuntary noise because she'd looked up and shot him a wicked smile.

"Stop it." He'd moaned.

"Stop what?" She'd said innocently, getting up, walking round to him and plopping down on the couch beside him.

"Just go put some clothes on, please. I can't concentrate."

She'd giggled and moved closer, winding herself around him. "Sorry, baby. It's just so...hot in here. Too hot for more clothes."

He'd closed his eyes and thought about his dog dying. It had worked, sort of.

"I really r-really," his voice broke on the last word. Her smirk grew. "Think you should put some trousers on or something."

She'd grinned and then nodded. "Sure thing. Later though, I have homework." She'd kissed him chastely on the lips, gotten up and crossed back to her desk.

He'd frowned. She was definitely trying to tease him and it was definitely working. Maybe, maybe it was time to play her game...

He got up and walked to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, she jumped and then relaxed under his touch. Carefully, he rubbed them gently, rubbing soothing circles in her back.

"Mmm, that's nice." She murmured.

He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. She pulled herself closer. Slowly, he leaned down, curving her back slightly. He moved closer to her lips, she was smiling with anticipation, he changed tack and almost, almost but not quite pressed his lips against her neck. Her breathing was slightly quickened, her hands tightened on his shoulders. She went to move even closer, to close the distance between her and his lips but, he'd pulled away, stood her on her feet and walked away. He'd almost got to the stairs to his bedroom before she stopped him.

"Hey! That wasn't fair!" She growled, still standing where he had left her.

He turned to face her, smirking. "Sorry baby, just thought you should get a dose of your own medicine."

She looked actually murderous. He knew he could outrun her and she didn't seem to have her wand on her but still... He did the only thing he could do; he crossed the room in two long strides and kissed her.

She responded instantly. "I hate you." She murmured against his lips.

He grinned. "No, you don't. You love me. And you want me."

"Jerk." She muttered.

"Didn't deny it though, did you?"

She stalked back to her desk. He smirked – score one to Potter.


	26. What's that?

21. "What's that?"  
Fred x George

"What's that?" Fred smirked, appearing seemingly from thin air. George jumped violently, nearly knocking the box in his lap over. He grabbed it hastily.

"It's a prototype." George said, glaring at his twin.

"For what?" Fred frowned at the box. It was bright red. It had a button on the lid. Instinct took over and he leaped forward, dodged George's grab and...

"NO!" George yelled. "IT'S FIREWORKS!"

Too late – Fred's hand connected with the button and the lid flew open. There was a moment of silence and then bangs, pops and shrieks filled the room accompanied with an explosion of fireworks in every colour and shape. Pink and red and blue and green and gold sparks filled the room. Both twins instinctively dropped to the ground, both well used to explosions by now.

When the fireworks had finally finished, (they culminated in a huge Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes logo in a vivid purple colour), George looked over at his twin menacingly.

Fred gulped audibly. "Oops?"

-

"What's that?"

"Nothing you need to know about." George said hastily, hiding the mystery object behind his back.

Fred, however, was gifted with youthful reflexes and dodged George to seize the mystery object. Dancing just out of arm's reach, he held it aloft triumphantly.

"Just give it here," George sighed, after several minutes of trying to grab it back, finally conceding defeat. "And I'll tell you what it is."

Fred scrutinised his expression for a long moment and then, satisfied he was telling the truth, handed it over. George sat down on the sofa and Fred sat next to him.

The object was a book, bound with dark red leather. George opened it. It was a photo album.

The first page was taken up with a large photo of two boys. They were identical, down to the spattering of freckles on their noses. Twins. They had their arms around each other's shoulders and sported identical, cheeky grins.

"That's me." George pointed at the boy on the left.

Fred pointed at the other boy. "And that's him."

"Yeah." George said quietly. "That's Fred."

"He looks just like you, Dad."


	27. Maybe we're not meant for each other

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part, or whole, of HP.**

54. "Maybe... maybe we're not meant for one another."

Dean x Ginny

She doesn't love him of course. Theirs is a high school relationship born of hormones and mutual attraction and the fact that she needs to get over _him_.

He understands that, deep down. He knows that Ginny Weasley doesn't really belong to him. When all is said and done, he knows that she will not end up with him. But that doesn't matter because she's beautiful and funny and clever and a kick-ass Quidditch player and hell, he's not looking for anything serious either.

They met at a Ravenclaw party. They knew each other beforehand, of course, they just got together at the party. It was a rubbish party, she remembers. The Ravenclaws weren't known for their partying. She never usually went to other Houses parties. One of her friends had had a Ravenclaw boyfriend who invited her, and of course she couldn't go alone, so the whole group of them went. Her friend instantly attached herself to her boyfriend's face and another few friends disperse into the crowd – Ravenclaw boys are supposedly the hottest in the school. She's standing alone, watching the dancing and wondering how long she has to stay before she can leave when he appears by her side.

"Ginny, right?" He says, offering her a plastic cup filled with drink.

She takes it, not entirely sure what's in it but not really caring. "Yeah. You're Dean."

He nods even though it wasn't a question and she takes a gulp of the drink. It's some kind of hard lemonade stuff. It's disgusting but she keeps drinking and it gives her a newfound confidence, the kind that only comes when you've had far too much to drink. She asks him to dance and he agrees instantly and they're dancing and laughing because neither can walk in a straight line or actually stand up straight and their clinging on to each other like a drowning man clings to a rock and she stumbles, or maybe he does, and anyway, it doesn't matter because their lips meet and suddenly, just like that, they're kissing. Kissing as if their lives depended on it and she's thinking well this isn't too bad, he's nice, you know.

He asks her out the next day. He's fancied her for a while but never really plucked up the courage to ask her out. She says yes and he grins and when the next Hogsmeade weekend rolls around, he takes her to the Three Broomsticks. He figures that she isn't a Madam Puddifoot's type of girl, a fact affirmed on their date when she confesses that if he had taken her to the little teashop she would have never gone out with him again.

Things just go from there, she likes spending time with him. He makes her laugh and he's pretty good looking and he likes her. He's perfect for a teenage relationship. And if occasionally when she's kissing him or his hand slips into hers, she wishes he was Harry, well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, Dean probably knows that.

He knows that they only have a limited amount of time allotted to them and their relationship. He understands that. He knows that she doesn't belong to him. She's Harry's really. She'll end up with Harry. He sees how she looks at him and how Harry looks at her and he thinks, not long now, not long at all.

She is pretty much looking for an excuse to end things when the end comes about. It was over something stupid – him helping her through the portrait hole, she hates it when he does that. And so she screams and yells at him and delivers the kill strike, "Maybe...maybe we're not meant for each other."

Time is pretty much up, he knows that, she knows that. He steels himself for the end. It comes when he 'helps' her through the portrait hole even though this time he knows damn well that he didn't touch her. She doesn't listen when he tells her that. Instead she screams and yells so he shouts back. And then, eyes blazing she says, "Maybe...maybe we're not meant for each other."

He laughs then and she looks startled. He doesn't enlighten her, he just walks away. _Of course they're not meant for each other, of course they're not, they've known that all along. _


	28. Please, don't do this

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter.**

13. "Please, don't do this."

Remus x Tonks

"Look... I have to say something." He began.

She raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Go on then, tell me again how we're not meant to be together and how I deserve better and how you're sorry but we can't be together anymore."

"We a-"

She cut him off. "And then I'll scream at you for a bit and you'll feel horribly guilty and then you'll kiss me, or more likely I'll kiss you, and eventually you'll realise that actually you were wrong. And this will continue until you get it into your thick head that I'm bloody well in love with you."

He blinked - she'd always been a straight talker. "Look, I'm sorry but we can't be together. I don't deserve you, I really don't. I'm a monster Nymph, you know that."

"Please, don't do this right now."

"I have to. I'm meant to be alone, I'm not saying I don't love you because I do but you deserve so much better than me and what I can offer, you should m-"

"I'm pregnant."

He blinked again as her words sunk in. "Is that a joke?"

She snorted, "Yeah because that's the sort of thing I'd joke about."

"Oh. Merlin."

"Don't sound too happy." She said sarcastically, using acerbic wit to hide her hurt as she so often did.

"Sorry." He said. "Just a tad shell shocked. You just sprang it on me."

"I know. Made you stop trying to make me leave though, didn't it?" She said very quietly, eyes firmly on the floor so that he couldn't see her tears.

He paused, crossed the room and took her face in his hands. "I don't want you to leave. I never want you to leave, I just want you to know what you're getting into."

She laughed once. "Remus, I've known what you were since I first met you about seven years ago. I fancied the pants off you for about five years, regardless. And then, in case you hadn't realised, I married you, all the time fully aware that you are a werewolf. I'm not getting into anything, I'm already in."

He kissed her then. "Love you." He said tenderly, placing a hand on her flat stomach. "And I can't believe you're having my child."

"I know. And I love you too, you idiot."

She grinned and he grinned and then they were kissing and hugging and jumping up and down like two little kids and for a moment, they forgot that there was a war on and that they didn't know how much time they had left or that they were bringing their child into a dangerous world, because right there, right then - they were happy.


	29. Change isn't always a bad thing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

79. "Change is not always a bad thing."  
Lucius x Narcissa

"Narcissa." He didn't bother raising his voice as he strode into the grand entrance hall of his imposing home. He threw his cloak in the general direction of a house elf, who darted forward and caught it.

She appeared at the top of the staircase and then flew down the stairs to embrace him, somehow managing to make even this rather undignified show of emotion seem classy, elegant and refined.

"I'm home." He said weakly.

She half smiled. "Come and sit down." She ushered him into the drawing room and called for tea.

She settles him in a chair and sits down in her own armchair. He looks terrible – thin and gaunt and drawn. Dark bruise like shadows are smudged under his eyes. His eyes look scared. She has never before seen Lucius scared, seeing terror their now unnerves her more than his appearance. His hair is longer than usual, a little matted. His skin is pale, paler than its' usual deathly pallor. He has lost weight, a little too much giving him a gaunt appearance.

"I didn't know you were due home today." She says. Then, she clears her throat, bored with small talk. "Andromeda is coming."

"Where?" He says dumbly.

"Here. Today, a bit later on. She's bringing Teddy, my great nephew."

"Who?" He's never heard of any Teddy.

"Teddy Lupin – his parents were Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda's only child. They both were killed in the Final Battle. Andromeda is raising him."

He pauses. "But...Andromeda betrayed your family. She married a Mudblood." His features wrinkle at the word.

"She didn't betray anybody. She fell in love."

"She is a blood traitor and I forbid her to come here." Lucius snaps.

Narcissa is used to following orders, rules, regulations. She's sick of it. She's sick of being ordered around and never making her own decisions. "I wasn't asking your permission." She says scornfully. "This is as much my house as yours. She is my sister and will be treated with respect."

"Respect?" He sneers. "She is not worthy of respect."

"Actually," Narcissa takes a deep breath. "She is the only member of my family, excusing perhaps Sirius, who is worthy of respect. She fought for the right side, she followed her heart. She deserves respect."

Lucius blinks. "You hate her."

"Bellatrix hated her and so, I followed her example. Bellatrix is gone now and it's time for change. Change is not always a bad thing."

"What's happened to you?" He says. "Why are you behaving like this?"

"I've changed." She says simply. "Changed for the better."

**A/N: I'm not sure about this one - let me know what you think. Personally, I always thought that Narcissa didn't hold her family's views, I think that after the war Lucius would have been imprisoned and Narcissa would have finally been herself.**


	30. Ew! Seriously? They're dating?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part, or whole, of Harry Potter.**

85. "Ew! Seriously? They're dating?"  
Krum x Hermione

She had fully intended to keep a low profile at Hogwarts. She didn't need notoriety or a huge social circle, she didn't crave attention and she didn't want everyone to know who she was.

She did two things which screwed this plan up.

Firstly, she befriended Harry Potter – Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived and the hero of the wizarding world. As such, her school years were spent thwarting You-Know-Who's various attempts to regain his former powers and generally, this sort of activity garnered a lot of attention. Before long she became used to the eyes upon her, the whispered rumours about her and the constant questions about Harry and Voldemort and whatever.

Secondly, she dated Victor Krum – international Quidditch star and Triwizard Tournament Champion. She also accompanied him, very publicly, to the Yule Ball. She hadn't meant to like him, let alone date him. She had found his presence irritating at first and then, when he'd finally plucked up the courage to talk to her, she found that he was actually very sweet. An unlikely friendship had sprung up between them and when he asked her to the Yule Ball, she had been so flattered that he, famous Quidditch player Victor Krum, had asked her, plain old Hermione Granger, and she was so pleased that she had even been asked and she wanted for one night to wear a pretty dress...so she said yes.

After the Ball, she had dated Krum for about two months. No one thought they would last that long, they thought it had just been a one-time thing.

She heard the rumours and whispers and gossip about her. Most of it was untrue, a lot of it was just horrible and mean. She didn't care much.

She hated the looks everyone gave her though and the awful, untrue things about her scrawled on the walls of the girl's toilets and the horrible rumours about her and him and what they had done.

She hated it.

She was never really the confrontational type, so when she finally did hit back at them, it actually surprised her.

She walked into the girl's toilets between lessons, a gaggle of girls stood in there gossiping and reapplying a thick layer of make-up to their faces. She shrugged past them and locked herself in a cubicle. They didn't even bother to whisper.

"That was Hermione Granger." One voice said. "She's the one that's dating Krum."

"Ew! Seriously? They're dating? What does he see in her?" Another exclaimed cattily.

"She's probably slipped a potion in his drink or something." One said 'wittily', they collapsed into malicious giggles.

She had intended to ignore them, maintain a dignified silence, march out of the cubicle, wand brandished and confront them...

"Victor is with me because he likes me. Get that? He likes me, not you. Now, I'm sorry if you're jealous about that fact. And if it makes you feel better to say things about me, then go ahead...I don't care, it just shows everyone how stupidly, pathetically jealous you are."

She marched out, knees shaking slightly. She turned a corner and leaned against a wall, breathing slightly quicker than normal.

"Hermione Jean Granger." She said to herself quietly. "Now, where did that come from?" She laughed to herself and then continued on her way to Charms class as if nothing had happened.


	31. Are you honestly trying to lay a guilt

**A/N: This fiction has been nominated in the Other Category of the Harry Potter Awards. If you would like to vote (which would be very very lovely) the link is: http:// forum. fanfiction. net /topic /64689 /22858812 / 1 (remove the spaces) the deadline is the 1st of June. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Yet.**

62. "Wow. Are you honestly trying to lay a guilt trip on me?"  
Charlie x Molly

"Wow. Are you honestly trying to lay a guilt trip on me?" He said accusingly, staring at his mother in blatant disbelief.

He loved her, he really did but this was low, very low. She wanted him to come home for good. She tried to make him stick around every single time he came back, she was annoyingly persistent. He was a good son, he came back for Christmas and Easter and for everyone's birthdays. He visited regularly.

This time, she had used the time-to-settle-down-we-love-grand-kids-everyone-else-has-them-you're-a-failure-Charlie-is-there-something-wrong-with-you card. Something like that anyway.

"No." She denied. "I am just saying that we miss you."

"I visit twice a month. That's more than half the others do." He pointed out. This was a lie – the others pretty much lived here, despite the fact they all had their own homes. Sometimes exaggeration was the only thing left to you.

She pursed her lips. He winced waiting for the onslaught. It came, but not in the form of anger, instead she cried, no, she sobbed. Her face crumpled, fat tears rolling down her cheeks, sobs welling up and spilling out of her messily. He took a hasty step forward and hugged her tightly. She sobbed for what felt like forever until finally she seemed to be out of tears.

She spoke to her feet and punctuated her words with the occasional hiccough; it didn't matter though because what she said he would remember until his dying day.

"It just scares me, Charlie, not having you here. It feels wrong to have t-two sons missing. Having just you gone, well...it hurts but I'm used to it, but t-two, missing him, Fred." They both winced at his name, even now it hurt to be reminded that he was not with them. That he was gone. "As well, it's not right. It's not supposed to be like that and that's why I try so hard to make you stay. That's why."

His heart clenched. His stomach sunk. He was a terrible son. He always had been the real black sheep, Perce thought it was him but Percy had returned and stuck around for good. He, Charlie, was the bad one.

It took just six seconds for Charlie to blurt out those three words which he would regret for a very long time, regret a fair bit, but not enough, never enough, to make him go back on his word and go back. He loved his job, he loved the excitement and the danger and the variety, he loved the friendly, and often lewd, banter with his colleagues, the awesome beauty of the dragons, the sense of adventure and freedom. He loved everything about his work.

But not as much as he loved his family.

"Okay, I'll stay."


	32. Never let something take control of you

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP.**

56. "Never let something take control of you so strongly that you can't break free of it."  
Tonks x Andromeda

"Mummy!" A resounding crash and a slightly panicked, yet oddly enthusiastic shout announced the entrance of her daughter.

"What are you doing?" Nymphadora said curiously. Andromeda's eyes flew open. Her daughter stood, fresh from her bath, with dripping wet hair in a vivid shade of fuchsia and matching pyjamas in the doorway, watching her.

She was a little embarrassed to have been caught. She had been sitting on her daughter's bed. Remembering.

She didn't often think about her family. Generally, she did everything she could to disassociate herself from them.

She had left them a long time ago and she had never once regretted her choice. She had made the right decision.

But, sometimes, every now and then, she would catch a glimpse of her daughter and she had this expression on her face. An expression that was oh so familiar – it was pure Bella, it had been echoed by Cissy, she, Andy, did it as well. And now her daughter did.

Dora didn't realise she did it. It was subconscious. It wasn't even representing an emotion, not specifically, it was just an expression. One that felt like a kick in the stomach.

Family was the most important thing of Andromeda's life. Yet she had walked away from her real blood family.

Was that right? Was she a liar? Was she a hypocrite?

Cissy. Bella.

Cissy. Bella. Andy.

Three sisters, torn apart.

"Come here, Nymph." She held her arms out and her little daughter went willingly, curling up on her lap and wrapping plump little arms in a stranglehold around her neck. "I have to tell you something. Something important."

Nymphadora's eyes widened and she nodded seriously and then tucked one thumb in her mouth.

"In your life there will be a lot of people whom you love – family and friends and those that are more than friends. They make us who we are, but you have to be careful. So careful. Because sometimes those people that you love unconditionally, even though they might love you, they try and make you into someone who you shouldn't be, someone you don't want to be. They let you down and poison you and try and break you and you musn't let them. Never let something take control of you so strongly that you can't break free of it. Never. Not even family." She spoke with anger and passion and rage, venting her fury at a family who had let her down.

Too much anger, she had scared Nymph a little. She had been so sorry later. But right then, right then, Dora wasn't Dora. She was a younger Andromeda who needed to know that she had to break free.

-

Tonks had that day engraved on her memory. She had been six years old, too young to understand what mummy was saying. Too young to know about the Black family. Too young to..get it.

She got it now. It made perfect sense. She understood what her mum had been trying to tell her.

It had served her well, always maintain a sense of self, never let yourself go completely, make sure you can still break free, if you have to.

She sat in a hospital room, baby Teddy in her arms. His hair was a particularly vivid shade of turquoise, his eyes were closed in slumber. She gazed in absolute wonderment at this tiny creature who depended on her for everything, who would love her unconditionally, who was half her, who she would have to make into who he was. It was overwhelming.

Luckily, she had help. Remus, sitting slightly slumped in a spindly chair by her bedside, snoozing and pretending not to be.

It was too late – she could never break free of them. They had her on too tight a hold. Thing was, she never ever wanted to break free. Not from them.


	33. I knew it would never work out anyway

**A/N: Sorry - I know they aren't canon, but I do love them together.**

**Another reminder, I have been nominated in the Other category of the Harry Potter Awards. Please do vote, the deadline is the 1st of June. Here's the link (remove spaces): **http : // forum . fanfiction . net / topic / 64689 / 22858812 / 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

29. "I knew it would never work out anyway."  
Oliver x Alicia

They were rowing again. As usual. In fact arguments and passionate making up sessions that followed were pretty much what their whole relationship consisted of.

They were so alike, too alike perhaps. Neither could ever back down and admit that they had been wrong, neither were exactly patient, neither could resist tipping the other over the edge.

She was sick of it. Tired of the whole petty routine.

It would go something like this: he would get home from training and make some sarcastic remark because she had just gotten home and hadn't made dinner yet or she would get mad because he had forgotten to do something or cut him off when he went into a Quidditch monologue. The second person, the one who hadn't committed the initial offence, would snap back. The other would retaliate and before long they would be screaming insults at each other and throwing things, usually plates or cushions, but sometimes jinxes. This would continue until one of them, usually, no...it was always Oliver, he would leave and she would collapse on the floor and sob uselessly. When she was done with tears, she would clear up any mess they had made and tidy herself up so she looked presentable again. He would return home and they would stand in silence, each willing the other one to say they were sorry and neither willing to say it first, until, in exact unison, at some unknown signal, they would dash forward and embrace and kiss and whisper apologies.

The next day the whole thing would be repeated. Over and over and over and over and over.

Not anymore.

If he left now, right now, she wouldn't take him back. Ever. This is it, make or break.

"Just go then!" She yelled. "But if you go, don't bother coming back! Go on, storm out, run away from our problems. I dare you!"

She knew the second the words were out of her mouth that she had gone too far. There's a new, scary kind of rage on his face.

"You dare me?" He hisses.

She was too angry to take it back, too stubborn to say sorry, too mad to say that she didn't mean it and that she didn't ever want him to leave because she loved him too much. She did though, love him, she loved him a lot, more than she thought she should, so much that sometimes it scared her.

"Go." She said. He turned on his heel and stalked away.

"I knew it would never work out anyway." She said in a low voice that he wasn't intended to hear.

He had almost been at the door. He whirled round, clearly having heard her words, and stormed towards her. She took a step back, backing herself into a corner and cursing silently. He hit the wall either side of her head and she jumped and closed her eyes, scared.

"Open your eyes." He said. She did.

"I knew it." He continued, arms either side of her so she couldn't escape, eyes blazing with rage and passion and anger. "You thought we would never work so you find any excuse to pick a fight, you make up things that aren't there. You don't even want us to work. Well, I love you Alicia. I'm not going anywhere, I won't let you break us because we bloody well do work. Always have, always will-"

She cut him off with a kiss.


	34. She's gone, she's gone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

49. "She's gone. She's gone."  
Harry x Petunia

Baby Harry lay in her arms. He was oddly quiet and still. Dudley, her own baby boy, was much more vibrant and soulful and childlike than this odd child who had eyes that knew too much for one so young.

She hugged him close for a brief second. She hated him and everything he stood for, but right now he was just a defenceless, motherless, fatherless baby, and you couldn't hate a baby.

He looked like her, Lily. There was a whole lot of that good for nothing wizard freak Lily had married in there, but there was a definite trace of her freak of a sister in Harry's face.

The eyes.

It was definitely the eyes. The baby had her eyes. They seemed to taunt her.

"Lily." She said softly, looking into the baby's eyes. Only, they weren't the baby's eyes, they were Lily's. Lily was standing before her and this was the last chance she'd ever get to talk to her baby sister.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I messed up. I was so jealous cos you were special and I wasn't and then you went off and left me and you never looked back. And you came back a different Lily, you didn't care about me or what I thought and you could do things, things that scared me a bit. The fear took over. I was hurt and angry and scared and I pushed you away. I'm sorry, so sorry. I loved you, loved you a lot. I should have told you. Sorry, sorry." She whispered frantically. A single tear ran down her thin cheek. She stifled further sobs away quickly, wiping her face quickly. She couldn't be caught crying.

Lily disappeared and baby Harry was back. Lily was gone.

Petunia blinked in shock. "She's gone." She said, as the terrible fact sunk in – Lily, her beautiful little sister, was gone. Gone forever. "She's gone."

Baby Harry blinked his eyes once. Coincidence surely, but right there, right then, it was as if this baby was agreeing with her. She shook her head hurriedly, dismissing the thought, pushing it from her mind. She put the baby back.

_Best not to get close to the child_, she thought, _safer that way - you can't be hurt by those you don't care about._


	35. I'm not strong enough

**A/N: It's been a while I know - I've been very focused on Marriage, Babies and Hatred recently - but here's a little piece of Lily and James to keep you going!**

**Disclaimer: HP...it ain't mine.**

82. "I'm not strong enough."  
James x Lily

Theirs was a twisted love story. It was not girl meets boy and falls in love, in fact their story went something like this.

Girl meets boy, girl loathes boy, boy loves girl, boy stalks girl with a ruthless passion, girl rejects boy repeatedly, boy becomes less of an arrogant jerk, girl relaxes a little, girl falls in love with boy.

Or something like that.

The day they had gotten together was marked forever in his memory. It wasn't particularly romantic or loving, it wasn't the stuff of movies or love stories, it was just so...them. Lily and James. James and Lily.

They'd been talking quite amiably – they did that now, now that he was Head Boy and she was Head Girl and she liked him – and he was still inwardly marvelling over the fact that the Lily Evans was talking to him and they were actually talking...like actual people. She wasn't even mad at him.

Those seven little words spilled from his mouth. He regretted them instantly but there was no way to take them back. The words put their whole friendship on their line. Their friendship was strong, had strengthened a lot as of late, and he had just put the whole thing in jeopardy. If it went his way, then things would be perfect, if they didn't...well, he'd never ever get her.

"Will you go out with me, Lily?"

She blinked a little startled. Then, quite unexpectedly, she smirked. "Why?"

"Why what?" He was completely confused.

"Why d'you want to go out with me?"

"Okay." He thought – this was his only chance, it had to be good. _Be smooth, James._ "Because I've liked you ever since we first met on the train, because that liking has grown each and every day, because I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met. Because you make me smile whenever I see you, because you're incredibly intelligent, because you're kind to everyone, even those who don't deserv-"

She cut him off with a sudden kiss. He was so startled it took him a few seconds to react, his arms shot out and wound around her waist, pulling her flush to his body.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked curiously, still holding onto her. "Not that I'm complaining."

She grinned, "It would seem that I'm not strong enough to resist you anymore."

He smiled. He'd never been strong enough to resist her, she's always made him weak - always has, always will.


	36. I can't do this on my own

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

57. "I can't do this on my own."  
Bill x Charlie

He was so relieved Charlie was back. He had, despite himself, missed his brother. He and Charlie had been close growing up. In some ways Charlie was his favourite brother.

It felt a bit like blasphemy to say something like that but it was true. He loved all of his family, of course he did. But if he had to pick a favourite, it would have been Charlie.

Percy was perfectly nice but a bit staid for his tastes, you couldn't exactly go drinking with him or tell of your latest conquest (of course being a married man, one didn't have any conquests to speak of but still that was beside the point). Fred and George were just that – Fred and George, a unit, an impetrenable unit. Ron was really young when he left home. He always loved his littlest brother but he was never as close to him as he was to the older ones. It was probably because he, Bill, had left home before Ron had really gotten to be Ron, before Ron had turned into the person he would be. Bill had never really gotten a chance to get to know who Ron really was. Ginny was a girl - the only girl. Technically this meant she didn't qualify for the position of favourite brother but in terms of favourite sibling Ginny came a close second. She was feisty and brave and pretty much hero worshipped him, which did wonders for a guy's ego he had found.

When Ginny was born he had all these protective instincts which kind of caught him off guard. He'd always taken his big brother role seriously. As oldest it was his job to look out for them all. But when Ginny was born...she was just a girl, a little girl. And there were things out there, nasty things, that would get her, things he needed to protect her from because she obviously couldn't do it by herself – things like hormonal teenage boys hell bent on getting far too close. He should know - he had been a hormonal teenage boy himself once upon a time.

He had told her this once and she had been so mad he had been a little frightened. She had told him, in deadly serious tones, that she did not need looking after just because she was a girl. Then she had sent a Bat-Bogey Hex at him and refused to lift it for almost half an hour and since then he had never doubted his little sister's ability to look after herself. Or at least he had never voiced the opinion again.

"I'm glad your home." He said, not quite meeting his brother's eyes.

Charlie smirked. "Aww shucks big bro, you missed me?"

"Shut up you idiot." Bill said good-naturedly.

"Righto captain." Charlie gave a mock salute.

"Seriously though, I am glad your back. I can't do this on my own, I need your help."

"Help with what?"

"Looking after them all." He gave his brother a serious look, this was perhaps the most serious, and meaningful, moment the two of them would ever share. "There's a war coming and we're pretty tangled up in it. They're all gonna want to fight and...we're the oldest. It's always been my job to look after them but I think I need a lieutenant." He'd always prided himself on being able to take care of himself. Bill Weasley did not ask for help.

But he needed it. His pride was not about to get in the way of his family's well being. He needed Charlie to help him out here, to take care of them and to make sure that they were all okay. Because, dear Merlin, they had to all be okay. They had to get through this. He'd never be able to forgive himself if one of them got hurt...or worse..._oh Merlin, please let them be okay._

Charlie nodded. "Lieutenant Weasley at your service, Major."

He hadn't meant to but Charlie's words were too amusing not to laugh at. He threw his head back and laughed and Charlie did the same.

_We'll be okay, _he thought,_ we have to be._


	37. I will always look out for you

**A/N: I know I promised daily updates and then failed miserably at that. So, as a reward for all my regular readers and reviewers (because I love you, yes love.) here is update two of the day.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

72. "I will always look out for you."  
Alice x Neville

"Hello baby." She murmured soothingly, plucking her screaming baby from his crib. He was red faced and tetchy and angry. She rocked him gently, humming softly to soothe him.

"See," she said as he began to calm. "Things aren't so bad, are they?"

Technically speaking, she thought, things were about as bad as they could get. They were fighting for their lives. Her husband, her beloved Frank, was out right now fighting dark wizards along with all her friends.

Everyone she loved was in danger and there was nothing she could do, nothing to make this evil they were fighting just go away and leave them all alone.

Even her baby son, her beautiful baby boy was in danger.

He'd be okay though. Everyone was fighting for people like him – the new generation. He was hope in the middle of all this pain and anger and darkness. Neville was a new baby, a new life, he knew nothing of the outside world. He didn't know that his world was dark right now. And hopefully he never would.

She hoped with all her heart that her beloved son would never have to fight for his life, ever have to see one of his friends drop lifeless to the floor, to ever see pain or suffering or dark magic.

His world would be a better world. She would fight with all she had to give him that world.

"Okay, well maybe they are pretty bad." She admitted, rocking him back to sleep. "But not for you, your life will be good. I will always look out for you and so will your Daddy. We'll make sure things are good for you. That's what we're fighting for and we'll keep fighting until you get your perfect future. I'll always protect you. Promise."

Of course, being approximately four months old, baby Neville couldn't understand her and Alice knew that full well. Still it wouldn't hurt to promise. She would die before she broke that promise.

But in the end, it did not take death to make her break that promise, it took just one word repeated over and over and over.

**Crucio. Crucio. Crucio.**

I'm sorry baby, I'm sorry Neville, I've broken that promise.

The waves of pain lapped at her, they were licking her flesh, her mind, why wouldn't the pain stop? Please, please, please. Make it stop. The waves were torrential now, lashing down on her, she couldn't keep herself afloat. She was drowning, drowning, drowning. Why wouldn't it stop? Why? The waves were higher, crashing down on her, sucking her down and she couldn't fight it anymore, couldn't even form half a thought, couldn't even scream. The waves crashed down and she stopped struggling, anything to stop the pain, and so the waves covered her, drowned her, drowning in pain, drowning.


	38. Oh yeah, that's a great plan

84. "Oh yeah, that's a great plan. Let's do that. I'm SURE that will work out well."  
James Sirius x Lily Luna

"You have the map, why d'you want the cloak as well?" She said in a frustrated tone.

James rolled his eyes at her sheer stupidity. "Erm, hello, the map is great but I've got some serious competition and I need all the help I can get."

"So, you want me to help you steal the Invisibility Cloak from our father, the saviour of the wizarding world, just so that you can be the greatest prankster Hogwarts has ever seen?"

"Yeah, I think you've pretty much covered it there. You in?"

"Oh hell yeah I'm in."

"Nice." James stretched out his fist and Lily bumped hers against his.

"So, what's the plan?" Lily asked.

"Well, I was thinking we just sneak in and take it."

"Oh yeah, that's a great plan. Let's do that. I'm sure that will work out well." Lily said sarcastically.

James folded his arms across his chest defensively. "That's what we did with the map."

Lily tutted loudly at her older brother's idiocy. "But obviously Dad wanted you to have the map. He left it in his desk drawer completely unguarded – surely you didn't think that was how he hid things?"

James flushed a little. Thinking about it his little sister was probably right. His Dad was a trained Auror and the Chosen One; if he had wanted to hide something from his children he would have done a much better job.

"And have you ever noticed that he has never confronted you over the map? He knows it's gone and he knows you've got it. If he had a problem with that, he would have made you give it back. Or stolen it back."

James shifted self consciously. Great, Lily was right, why was she always right? Stupid little sisters, always making you look like a fool.

"So, want to hear my plan?"

It caused him physical pain to take advice from his little sister but he really really wanted the cloak so he was forced to swallow his pride and nod reluctantly.

"Okay, well we do a locator spell to find out where it is." She began firmly. James had never really noticed, until this exact moment, that his sister was incredibly authoritative, noticed absolutely everything and incredibly was clever to boot. Damn her, why was she always so good?

"Then we take it. Well, you will. I'll distract Daddy dearest and you'll take it. Might have to disable a few defences but you're a bright boy, you'll figure something out. "

5 years younger. His little sister was five years younger than him. She was just eleven and about to start Hogwarts in September. He was about to start his Sixth Year and she was bossing him about and, judging by the look of glee on her face, absolutely loving every minute of it.

He sighed and nodded. The plan was, unfortunately, a good one. They made their way to his father's study. He could hear his parents talking downstairs so he knew they were safe for now.

He drew his wand and muttered, a tad sulkily. "Accio cloak."

Of course, the cloak didn't come to him. Obviously there were charms on it to stop it from being summoned but he heard something move from a chest in the corner of the room. He smirked – his father kept the cloak in a chest. How original!

He crossed to the chest, tapped it rather matter of factly and said. "Specialis Revelio."

It glowed green for a moment.

"It's got a ward around it." James said thoughtfully. Carefully, he stretched his hand out as if to reach for the trunk. He could get no closer than a good inch or two from its surface. "See."

"Let me try." Lily said impatiently. She couldn't get through it either. "Right-o, I'll go and distract Dad, you try and break it."

"How're you going to distract him?" James asked curiously.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm going to ask him to tell me about his adventures of course. He'll be talking for hours."

James grimaced. "Have fun with that."

She left and he turned his attention back to the trunk. He had done a bit of research into some spells he could use to get the cloak. He had known his dad would have it magically guarded.

He went with the most obvious. "Alohomora." The lock on the trunk clicked open. Eagerly James went for the lock, the barrier was still there. It was so irritating– the lock was open, he could open the trunk but the barrier was stopping him getting close.

That meant he didn't need Cistem Aperio which apparently was used to open things like, to take an example not entirely at random, a trunk.

"Finite Incantatem." He tried.

The barrier remained there. Great it was finite-proof. Typical.

He thought it through for a moment. He had two more spells up his sleeve. This was the preferred option and also the most difficult spell. It was used to create a temporary gap through magical barriers. It was tricky though. If it didn't work, he was just going to blow it up (that being option two). Apparently the cloak couldn't be destroyed so it would be fine but the trunk would be destroyed and the magic was protecting the trunk, not the cloak. Of course, a fire would probably attract attention and he didn't even think a chance to tell his war stories would prevent his dad from coming to investigate a fire.

"C'mon James." He muttered to himself. "You can do this." He took a deep breath, pointed his wand at the trunk and said, "Partis Temporus."

He reached for the lock, fully expecting to be disappointed, and to his amazement he could touch the trunk. He didn't know how long the spell would last and he was too tired to try it again so he quickly ripped the lock off and opened the trunk. There were a few things in there and ordinarily he would have investigated further but time was short so he merely grabbed the cloak. He shut the trunk and clicked the lock back into place. Just as he did so, his hand was forced away from the trunk. His spell had broken.

But...he had the cloak!

He dashed to the relative safety of his room, pausing briefly on the landing to check that his dad wasn't coming (he wasn't – he could hear him telling Lily all about the Philosopher's Stone, poor Lily his dad was clearly in full swing) and hid the stolen cloak under his bed. He had the cloak!

In his first year, he had secured the Marauders' Map. Now, he had both items in his possession, Hogwarts wasn't going to know what had hit it!

**A/N: I realise James used underage magic. However, it has been pointed out in the books that the Ministry can tell that magic took place not whom used it. There would be two fully trained wizards in the house (Harry and Ginny) and I highly doubt the Ministry would suspect anything, especially from the Potter family.**


	39. Please help me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

7. "Please help me."  
James x Lily

She sat by the roaring fire, scribbling ferociously on a piece of parchment, a look of utter determination on her face. She stopped suddenly, flopped back in her chair with a loud sigh and glared at the parchment.

James' mouth twitched with amusement. He repressed any outward signs of humour and sauntered over. "You okay, Lils?"

"It's Lily." She snapped. She wasn't usually snappy with him, not anymore, they were both Heads now and had called a truce a long while back. She was just tired and overworked. He understood that though, that she wasn't really mad. "And no, I'm not okay."

He paused. "D'you want some help?"

She looked at him scornfully. "From you?" It was tiredness, she thought, it was tiredness that was making her into a horrible person.

"That's Transfiguration there, right? McGonagall's essay." She nodded, sending another evil glare at the paper. "Well, I'm actually top at Transfiguration." He didn't say this with arrogance; she noticed with surprise, he actually looked a bit embarrassed to be honest as if he would rather not admit to something like that.

She thought for a very long moment. She wanted his help, no...she needed his help, there was no way she would ever finish this essay by herself. It pained her to admit it but she wasn't actually very good at Transfiguration and he was. She needed his help.

She swallowed her pride. "Please help me, I'm completely lost." She admitted. She laughed humourlessly. "I never thought I'd say that to you."

He smirked. "I never thought I'd hear that from you."

"You'll never hear it again." She warned him. "Just because you're helping me, doesn't mean I'm madly in love with you or anything."

"Lily, baby...you're my girlfriend, I don't need to help you with your essay to know you love me, I already know you're madly in love with me." He grinned at her.

She laughed, throwing her head back. "You're so assuming."

"You haven't denied it." He pointed out.

She moves closer and his eyes fix onto her lips. "Well," She said, her voice low, practically a whisper. "I'm no liar."


	40. I swear, I never want to see your face

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP.**

32. "I swear, I never want to see your face again."  
Parvati x Lavender

Deep down they would always be best friends. They argued a lot, mostly over petty things, things that didn't matter, like who'd borrowed which top and when of them had flirted with the other's crush.

It was a stupid habit they had, a sort of vicious cycle. Discover, accuse, argue, make up and repeat.

"_I hate you!"_

"_I swear, I never want to see your face again."_

"_Why d'you always do that? It's because you're jealous, isn't it?"_

At the end of the day, Parvati thought, the words didn't matter, not really. Sure at the time it hurt to hear Lavender scream those things at her but she always knew, deep down, that Lavender didn't mean them. It was their friendship that mattered and that had always, thankfully, remained strong. It was times like these that they really needed the bond of friendship, dark times like these that drew them together.

She slipped her hand into Lavender's. "I'm scared." She said quietly, not wanting the people around them to hear her.

Lavender hugged her friend, too tightly but neither cared. "Me too, I don't know if I'm ready."

"Me neither...we'll be okay...right?"

Lavender nodded. "Of course we will. We'll win this and everyone will be fine." This wasn't exactly a lie but then it wasn't the truth. She didn't know any of that. The battle was coming and she didn't know what the outcome would be. She didn't know if they would be okay but they had to be, they had to be.

"I've got your back." Parvati said in an almost whisper. "Out there, I mean."

Lavender managed a shaky smile. "Same. Best friends, yeah?"

Parvati nodded a lump building in her throat. "Always. Ready?"

"Let's go." Lavender said grimly.

Both witches picked up their wands and stepped out of the hall and into the grounds, into the battle. Neither knew if they would make it out alive or if they would get hurt or if they were ready to fight but each drew comfort from the fact that they would always have each other. Always.

**A/N: Sorry – I know the quote doesn't really fit in that well, it's the only one I could find that vaguely fitted.**


	41. How could you do this to me?

**A/N: Sorry – it isn't canon! However, Charlie is always painted as the perpetual bachelor but I find it hard to believe that he chooses this. At first when he was young, sure, he must have loved it, but when he got older I always thought he would settle down. However, you have to settle down with the right person – perhaps the right person was always out of reach...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

43. How could you do this to me?"  
Charlie x Nymphadora Tonks

"Tonks."

He sunk to his knees. The grass was damp and dew quickly soaked through his jeans.

"Why? Why Nymph?" He said quietly, reaching out hesitantly to touch the cool stone.

It had been a year since her funeral. He'd been able to explain away much of his grief as sorrow at an old friend dying. Of course, he'd been grieving for others at the time, his brother was gone as well and he hadn't thought it was even possible to feel as much pain as he had then.

He hadn't had a chance, what with all the funerals and the huge amount of organisation such an event required and comforting his remaining siblings and trying to convince Percy he wasn't to blame and persuading Bill that he hadn't failed as a brother, to really mourn for Tonks.

"You said you would wait for me. Remember? We had a plan. Eight years, I was gonna be away for eight years. That's not long. Not really. Eight years, two years training and six as a full time keeper before I retired to some desk job here in England again, that was the plan. I thought it worked for you as well – you'd have a year at Hogwarts, six years Auror training and then one single year before I was home. You would have had training to fill your time up." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, exhaled slowly and opened them again.

"I loved you. I thought you loved me too. We were gonna be together, Tonks. Hell, I thought we were together. I stayed faithful, never even looked at another woman cos you were the only one I wanted. I come back and you're married! Married! You were supposed to be m-mine." His voice broke on the last word, pain seeping through his every word.

"I thought you loved me. You used to write all the time saying you did. How did I not notice? Why couldn't I tell when the letters stopped being loving and were just friendly? I thought you loved me." Charlie said dejectedly. How had he not known? Sure, the letters he had gotten were not as frequent and the tone was definitely cooler, he just thought she was missing him. He didn't think she was getting married and having a baby.

"He looks like you. Teddy, your son, his son." His son. It shouldn't have been Remus' son. Any baby should have been half him. It was supposed to be them that had children, got married, lived together. They were supposed to be.

" He looks like him as well but Merlin he reminds me of you. How could you do this to me? Why did you leave me? I could have got over my jealousy, you know, I could have got over you having kids that weren't mine, we could have been just friends. I would have been okay with that, eventually. But you're gone. Forever this time. I just want you back here on this Earth."

She wasn't coming back and that was the hardest part. He didn't even care that she would never be his. He was beginning to get over that pain. He was telling the truth, one day he would have been able to accept that Tonks was in love with another man. He would have gotten over this and he could have been her friend. It would have hurt but he could have dealt with it.

What hurt the most was that he would never see her again. Never hold her hand or give her a hug, never see her eyes, never hear her laugh, never see her fall over something, never see the resulting blush colour her cheeks, never even hear her voice.

He just wanted her back.


	42. Please pull through for me

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

87. "Please- pull through for me."  
Frank Longbottom x Augusta Longbottom

Her entire world had collapsed. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

In a cruel twist, her family had survived the war intact. They were supposed to be safe now the war was over. They hadn't been.

Her son and daughter-in-law had been caught by revenge seeking Death Eaters. They had been tortured. Crucio-ed repeatedly. The details made her feel sick, bile rising in her throat as the Healers coolly and calmly discussed what had happened. Merlin, it was terrible.

It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Alice and Frank were still unconscious. They'd been out for a long time. Three days now. Three days was dangerous, they were on risky ground. With every hour that passed, the chances of them every waking up grew slimmer, the chances of them leaving this unscathed were non existent now. Alice and Frank would never be the same again. But she just needed things to be how they were.

Her son, her son, how could this have happened? And Alice, love her, she was so tiny, so small, how could they have done this to her? They'd barely lived. They'd grown up just as the war begun, they'd never had a chance to have a normal family life. They deserved that much. They'd been so happy when the war had ended, they'd talked about buying a new house, about raising their little family. Plans which would probably never come to fruition.

Alice and Frank had left a son. Neville. Her darling grandson. One thing was for sure, Neville would never be raised by his parents. They might be able to play some part in his upbringing, if only they'd wake up, but it was unlikely they'd ever be able to assume full responsibility for raising their son. The Death Eaters had made sure of that. They had destroyed so many lives – Alice and Frank's, destroyed just like they'd destroyed their minds, Neville's, stolen his parents from him, her own because things would never be the same again.

People were still celebrating. Things were supposed to be better. How could they dance and sing and smile? How could they be happy when things were so awful, when Alice and Frank would never be right again, when Neville would never know who his parents had been? Did they not know that in here, in this tiny hospital room, so many lives had been destroyed, so much pain was around?

She slipped her hand into Frank's. He looked very small lying in this hospital bed. He looked old as well. He had been a young man with a young family and a bright future ahead of him.

"Frank. Frank, love, please wake up. Just open your eyes. C'mon." She urged quietly. "We need you to get up. If you wake up now, things might be okay. They'll be okay again. Prove them wrong. Please."

The Healers thought he was going to die. He couldn't die. Please, don't let him die.

"Please, just live. Just get up. Please-pull through for me, I need you. Get up for Neville, he needs you. He's so much like you. He needs his parents, I need you to come back, come on. Frank. Please, just make it. You're going to be okay, you'll wake up and so will Alice and you'll be together again, with Neville. But you have to wake up to do that. So, come on..."

Nothing. There was never anything there, the Death Eaters had stolen it away, everything that made Frank into who he was. Gone.


	43. If you leave, I don't know if I can live

**A/N: I know Jo Rowling has provided dialogue for this scene in the books. However, this is my take.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

9. "If you leave, I don't know if I can live."  
Harry x Ginny

She knew it was coming. He had been quiet all day, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

She knows in the end that she will bring it up to save him the agony of doing so. This way he will feel less awful about it and she will have some medium of control (even though, in reality, she has no control at all, absolutely none).

But right now, she can't bring herself to say it. She's loved him from afar for so long and now she's finally got him, these few months have been the most amazing of her whole life and she just can't bring herself to say goodbye to them just yet.

This is his duty, she knows and accepts this, this is something he has to do. She understands this. And yet, she just can't let him go.

Why does he have to leave her?

She wants to go but they'd never allow her to accompany them. Besides, she hasn't been chosen to do so. The Golden Trio. Not the-Golden-Trio-and-Ginny.

She must stay here alone while the three of them, three of the people she loves most in the world, go out and fight, put themselves in danger every single day, in order to make their world a better, safer place.

She draws him to one side out of earshot of all the many people here. She's a strong person, she has dealt with worse than this, she can do this. She knows she has to stay strong and make it easy for him. She will cry over it later but she has to stay strong right now.

"It's okay, Harry. I know." She says quietly.

"Gin, I'm s-"

"Don't." She interrupts. "Please, don't. I already know."

He nods. "You'll be okay. You'll be safe. And...when it's over, I'll come back. I promise." He says fiercely.

"If you leave, I don't know if I can live. If I can keep going." She confesses her inner fears and tears slide down her cheeks. She curses herself the second she says the words and feels the tears. She shouldn't have said that, she shouldn't cry, she's made it hard for him. He's looking agonised, pained and she can't bear it. She has to take them back.

She opens her mouth to speak but he cuts in.

"You can." He tells her in a voice low with determination. This isn't the way he usually talks to her. She senses instinctively that he is not talking to Ginny his girlfriend, but as the Chosen One to a companion, to a fighter. "They need you here. You are a remarkable witch and things might get hard here, now Dumb...now he's gone. I need you to protect everyone else because I can't. Please, Ginny, I need you to do this for them, for me. Make sure they're safe."

She nods obediently. She will follow his words to the letter.

"But make sure you keep safe as well, make sure nothing happens to you. I need you, Gin. Stay alive, for me." His face is contorted in a sort of pain. He pulls her to him and presses his lips hard to her forehead. He's holding her too tightly and her nails are welding grooves into his back but neither let up or even care.

"Goodbye." He mutters into her hair, the next three words are so low and inaudible and she's sobbing so hard, she doesn't even know if she heard them right. "Stay alive. Please."


	44. Stop it

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

5. "Stop it!"  
Lily x Petunia

"Get out of my room." Petunia hissed angrily at her younger sister.

Lily completely ignored her, entirely used to her older sister's harsh words, crossing the room to retrieve her hairdryer. Petunia's room, as always, was pristine neat with every single item in its place. She evidently, Lily thought, had far too much time on her hands.

"That's mine!" Petunia said grabbing for the object. Lily moved in neatly out of her reach. Both were well aware that the item was Lily's and yet both knew that Petunia would swear, until she was blue in the face, that it was hers.

"No, it isn't."

"It is. Mum bought it for me."

"No," Lily sighed irritably. "It was one of my Christmas presents last year. I left it here because at school nothing electrical works."

"I don't care about your stupid school." Petunia said pulling a face and making another grab for the hairdryer and just about managing to secure a hold.

"I expect it doesn't care very much about you either." Lily replied in a mildly bored tone, tugging the hairdryer towards her. "Can you let go now?"

"No. It's mine." Petunia insisted.

"Look, you can either give it to me or I'll have to use magic to dry my hair." Lily played her ace card. Her sister hated any mention of the 'm' word. She would rather burn in hell than give Lily any opportunity to use magic.

Petunia froze and narrowed her eyes at her. "You wouldn't. You're not allowed."

"Actually, I'm seventeen. Legally, I can do what I want." Lily reminded her. "Now...if you won't let me..." She dug her hand in her (empty) pocket as if reaching for her wand.

Petunia squawked in alarm. "Stop it! Don't!" She dropped the hairdryer as if it had suddenly burst into flame.

Lily smiled in a satisfied fashion and spoke in a patronisingly saccharine sweet tone, "Thank you ever so much."


	45. I will never forget

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

95. "I will never forget."  
Harry x Albus Severus

"Dad, d'you love Lily and James more than me?"

Harry looked up startled. His middle child, just eight years old, stood in the doorway to his office, face set in a mask of determination.

"Of course not. Why?" Harry said. He beckoned to Albus to come in. Albus trudged in and crawled onto Harry's lap.

"James said you did."

"James is wrong." Harry said firmly. "I told you not to always believe James. You know he likes to tease you." This was true, his oldest son, James, had dedicated much of his life to winding up his younger brother.

"It wasn't like that." Albus addressed the floor by Harry's feet.

"Tell me about it." Harry suggested.

"Well, he said that James was your daddy. And that Sirius was your god-dad and your dad's best friend." Albus explained. Harry nodded, already knowing exactly where Albus was going with this. It was an issue he had known would come up at some point. He had already defended his decision to everyone else – to Ginny, to Ron and Hermione, to the rest of the Weasleys, to Neville, to the whole world. He now needed to defend it to his own son.

"James was right."

Albus nodded. "And James said that Lily was your mum's name and Lily's middle name is Luna and everyone knows Auntie Luna."

"Yes, she's hard to miss." Harry acknowledged with a wry grin.

"Well, he said that your old headteacher was called Albus. And Mum said that Albus Dumbledore was a really really good person. But...well, he wasn't your dad or your mum or related to you or anything, so...why'd you give me his name?"

This was a curveball – Harry hadn't expected to have to explain the reasoning behind the choice of the name Albus. "You know that my parents were killed when I was just a baby, right?" Albus nodded. "So growing up I didn't have anyone to love me like a parent. You know I stayed with the Dursleys. When I went to Hogwarts, I gained surrogate parents. They weren't actually my parents but they were as good as. Sirius was one of them. Grandma and Grandpa Weasley were others. Remus Lupin was another. And Albus Dumbledore...he was another one."

Albus brightened up visibly. "So he was a s-surrogate parent?" He stumbled on the unfamiliar word.

"Yeah. He was every bit as important as James, Sirius, Lily and Luna."

Albus nodded. "Okay. But erm... well."

"Go on." Harry said quietly.

"James said that Severus was the name of a nasty Potions teacher who no one liked and he had nasty hair and he was on the bad side!"

Harry nodded. "James was partly right...but he got some things wrong. Severus Snape was a Potions teacher and very few of his students ever liked him and he did have pretty bad hair. But...he wasn't on the bad side, Albus. He worked for Dumbledore. He pretended to be on Voldemort's side. He gave us vital information, he helped us until the very end. He was a hero, Albus."

Albus was still looking upset. "But he wasn't important to you, was he?"

"At first, no. I hated him in fact. But he was a very brave man and I will never forget that. He deserves to be recognised."

"But why couldn't you name me after someone good? Everyone else has got better names than me." He pouted sulkily.

Harry stifled a smile. "Albus Severus Potter. You have got a name just as good as everyone else's. Albus, your namesake, was the most intelligent man I've ever known. Severus was the bravest. Brave and intelligent, that sounds pretty good to me."

Albus unfolded his arms and nodded a little reluctantly. "Yeah. It is, isn't it?" He seemed to brighten a little. "Thanks Dad."

"Anytime son."


	46. Every time I see it, I cry

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the lack of regular updates. Life's pretty busy at the moment and it's getting to exam time so I can make no promises. Please keep reading, hope you enjoy my writing and reviews would be much appreciated.**

**Dislaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

46. "Every time I see it, I cry."  
Ginny x James Sirius

"Mum?" James stuck his head around the door to his parent's bedroom. His mother sat on the floor the other side of the bed, the top of her head was visible. "You alright?"

"No." She said in a thick tone. "Not really, sweetie. Just give me a sec, 'kay?"

James crossed the room and sat down silently by his mum. She had every reason to cry today. Today was the anniversary of the Final Battle and the commemoration service was being held at Hogwarts. He was seventeen years old and in his final year. This was his seventeenth memorial service. His mum cried at every single one.

So did everyone though. Even his dad cried, not proper sobs but there was definitely a faint glimmer of a tear. Grandma Weasley was usually inconsolable and Teddy's grandma was usually worse.

He understood though. They had all lost people they loved.

Uncle Fred, for example, and Teddy's parents had been lost that day. He had never known these people, would never know the people who had been such a huge part of his families' lives.

"You ready, Mum?"

Ginny sniffed and tried to compose herself. "As ready as I'll ever be."

There was a long silence. James struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words to phrase his question. "Why'd you go? I mean... I know why, but...you don't have to, everyone would understand if you found it too upsetting."

Ginny nodded weakly. "I understand, James. I've asked myself the same question every year. So, yes it's true that the memorial is painful. The memorial stone is worse....every time I see it, I cry. But crying and being sad is part of life. It's been a long time since the war and I've moved on because I've had to. I've continued living my life. But this one day, it's a chance....for all of us to say, yes we've moved on but we still really hurt sometimes. It's to show them, wherever they are, that we miss them and love them and that we're proud. I know it doesn't mean much to you younger ones, you weren't there. But for us, the ones who were, well...we need it, James."

James nodded silently. "I never knew them but I'm proud too, Mum. And of you."

Ginny smiled and pulled her son to her for a hug, wondering exactly when he had gotten so big and so wise. She could still remember when he was just a newborn, hours old and screaming at the top of his little lungs. He wasn't a baby anymore, he was an man.

"C'mon kid," she said, standing up. "Let's go. I bet your old Dad's getting impatient."


	47. I've been through things you could only

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

75. "I've been through things you could only dream of!"  
Bill x Fleur

"You have to go home."

She blinks stupidly. "What?"

"You heard me, Fleur. You have to go home; it's not safe here anymore." He doesn't quite meet her eyes.

She stands up and crosses the room to him. He's standing in a corner, posture stiff and upright, expression carefully masked.

"You want for me to go?" She says quietly.

He shakes his head sadly. "Of course not, I never want to be without you. But I can't put you in danger and if you stay you will be in danger."

"I can handle zee danger." She says firmly.

He shakes his head instantly. "No. Go home and when it's over I'll come and get you."

Her eyes darken with anger and he realises he might have said the wrong thing. "I do not zink zat you understand me! You will not send me away like some-some child!" Her French accent strengthens with anger.

He places his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to stop her rant and look at him. "Fleur, it's dangerous here. The wars gonna happen, it's coming and it's gonna be so dangerous. I'm gonna be off fighting with the Order and it's too dangerous for you to stay."

"Too dangerous? Too dangerous? Pah – I have been through things you can only dream of! I am not zis fragile Eenglish flower. I can take care of mine self!"

She's right, he thinks. She's been through a lot, too much. She needs to be safe at home in France where they can't hurt her.

"It's safe there." He says stubbornly.

"I'm not going anywhere." She replies, equally pig headed.

"You have to, please." He pleads. "I can't have you here, I can't. I can't even think of you being in danger, I'll be out of my mind with worry if you're in the middle of it. I love you too much t-"

"You love me?"

He flushes faintly. "Yeah."

"Zen zis settles it. I will be staying here, with you." She says firmly. "I will not leave you. Not ever."

He nods, admitting defeat. He doesn't want to be without her either, doesn't think he can be without her. What comes next is going to be dangerous and scary and terrifying but with her by his side, he thinks, they might just get through this.


	48. Right now, I don't even care

**A/N: I'd just like to say thank you to all of my reviewers, you never fail to make me smile. All reviews are much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

30. "Right now, I don't even care."  
George x Angelina

He was a mess. A real, broken, screwed up mess. She'd taken on the almighty task of untangling him and putting him back together again. It wasn't easy. Sometimes she thought she'd made progress only to wake up the next day and find him staring vacantly into space again. Sometimes he'd yell and scream at her and tell her he hated her and that he wanted her to just go away. Sometimes he looked so much like Fred, so so much like Fred, that she felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest and all she wanted to do was break down and cry.

He was beginning to move on though, he could get through most days without completely breaking down and she was always there. Always. She never left his side these days. It was to help him but a tiny, incredibly selfish and twisted part of her had noticed how much like Fred he looked. Sometimes, just sometimes, she could pretend like Fred was still here. Sometimes. She felt like a bad person for even thinking such things. It happened though, she just couldn't help it.

They'd decided to spend the night as they usually did – getting utterly, rip roaring drunk. Alcohol, preferably consumed in large quantities, numbed the pain. So sometimes the numb feeling wouldn't go away but better no pain that overwhelming pain, right?

"I miss him." George said hollowly, taking a huge gulp of his drink. He was six drinks in and swaying as he stood.

"Me too." She'd been drinking steadily all night and was leaning on him for support. She slipped her hand into his comfortingly.

He turned to her. Something there made her gasp. It was him, that look. It was pure Fred.

Eyes blazing with a fierce determination, the kind born only of a peculiar mixture of pain, desire and alcohol, he pulled her to him and kissed her. It wasn't like Fred at all. The twins, it seemed, were not alike in this respect. It didn't matter though because when her eyes were closed, it felt like Fred and that was all that mattered – being with Fred.

She pulled away suddenly. "We...we..."

"No." George said seriously.

"Yeah, you're right."

"I know. You're hurting too though Ange. Everyone is so focused on getting me right, no one looks at you. You miss him too."

"Of course I do." She said. He still looked a lot like Fred.

He had, unthinkingly, moved a little closer. She kissed him again. "Sorry. I...I shouldn't have."

"No." He kissed her again. "You're his."

She nodded. "But, right now, I don't even care."

"Me neither." He pulled her to him, tilted her head back gently with one finger and kissed her again.

He wasn't Fred. He was George. And yet, when her eyes were closed, she couldn't quite tell and he could be Fred, he could be her Fred. Just for a little while.

She was a mess. A real, broken, screwed up mess. He would take on the almighty task of untangling her and putting her back together again. It wasn't going to be easy.


	49. I'm sorry, but she's not going

**A/N: I know it isn't strictly canon but I think it could almost be real. Maybe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

17. "I'm sorry, but she's not going to pull through."  
Percy x Penelope

The war had torn people apart. People went into hiding or on the run. People switched sides or went undercover. People were fighting or joining the resistance. Families, friends, couples – they'd all been split up.

Penny and he had been split up during the war. Penny, his beloved Penny, was Muggleborn. She'd been in danger. He'd seen her one afternoon, on a rare afternoon off just before the war really hit, and he'd begged her to go into hiding. He'd kissed her goodbye and told her he loved her and to stay safe. He'd made her promise to keep in touch.

She hadn't.

He later found out that she had taken his advice and gone on the run with a group of other Muggleborns. They'd been caught by a group of Snatchers, greedy for money and short of compassion, and delivered to the Ministry. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened next, but she would have been interrogated, under Dementor guard, by a panel. They would have humiliated her and tortured her before deciding that she had gotten magic unlawfully. She was sentenced to die in Azkaban. They didn't give the Dementor's Kiss. Not yet. They just left her in there to die.

Azkaban was dark and cold and dangerous. She would have been completely alone in a freezing cell, wandless and surrounded by soul leeching Dementors. Every single day would have been a struggle. Hundreds died there, succumbing to the darkness.

She'd been there for five months before the war was won. A party was sent to free the Muggleborns within moments of the final battle being won. He'd been part of the group sent to free them. It had been made up of over fifty family and friends of those imprisoned. He'd been the one to find her.

She was laying in a cell, on the floor, deathly pale, eyes closed. He'd rushed forwards, already anticipating the worst. She'd been alive though, there was the faintest trace of a pulse. She was just about clinging on to life.

They'd Apparated straight to St. Mungo's. There had been others, like her, who had been similarly ill and taken to hospital but Penny had been the first.

They'd taken her straight into recovery. He'd sat in the waiting room, head in hands, waiting just waiting. A Healer emerged and made a beeline for him, Percy looked up instantly, straightening up in his chair.

"Mr Weasley..." The Healer said apologetically. "Are you here for Penelope Clearwater?"

"Yes." Percy said eagerly. He was the only one there for her. Her parents were gone, killed when the Death Eaters raided her home trying to find her. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm sorry, but she's not going to pull through." The Healer said quietly. "She's been through too much to recover."

"No...no! You're wrong! She's a fighter, she'll make it. She has to." She had to make it. She had to.

The Healer had said nothing.

Three days. Three whole days she'd continued to cling desperately onto life. Three whole days she'd fallen deeper and deeper into a coma from which she would never recover. Three whole days he had sat by her bedside, holding her tiny hands in his and praying she would recover.

On the fourth day, she left him forever.


	50. You may kiss the bride

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

68. "You may kiss the bride."

My wedding day. Her wedding day. His wedding day.

It should always have been his day. This day was not mine alone; it was never intended to be mine. Some say when you lose someone you should live as they would have wanted you to do. Ot's intended to pull you out of your grief and get you back to living like a normal person.

In this aspect, and perhaps in other areas, I live the way he would have done, had he had the chance.

Maybe I've missed the point. Maybe the idea is that I don't live his life. Maybe I'm only supposed to live one life – my own – not his, not both.

"I do." She promises quietly, staring into my eyes. Her own eyes are filled with tears. She sees me there and she sees him. In a sense, she's marrying the both of us, she loves the both of us. She would have married him and yet, here she stands marrying me. Him and me.

"I do." I promise right back, when my turn comes. In a sense, I'm marrying her for him. He would have done it, had he had the chance, I'm doing it for him and for me because I love her too, just as much as he did, perhaps even more. Him and me.

"_I do." He says, the words are unspoken but hang in the air._

We shared everything. Perhaps it makes sense, in a twisted kind of way, that we would even share this day, this woman, this love.

"You may kiss the bride." The Minister announces victoriously.

She leans towards me and I reach for her waist instinctively. Our lips touch, I can feel her smile, can practically see her joy.

It should always have been his day. It should always have been her day. It should always have been my day.

**A/N: I haven't named names but I'm hoping it's pretty obvious who it is – I kind of like the mystery element to it this way though. Message me if you want more of an explanation.**


	51. Please don't leave me

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long. I promise you I haven't deserted this, I just had a bit of writer's block.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

5. "Please don't leave me!"  
Pansy x Draco

He has to end things. Death Eaters don't have girlfriends. They have wives, usually fellow Death Eaters. The Dark Lord can use girlfriends to gain an advantage, to force you to do things you don't want to do. A wife, however, is sacred. Even the Dark Lord would not torture your wife to manipulate you.

He can't marry her. They were high school sweethearts, a casual fling even, it was never even meant to last as long as it did. He doesn't love her. She doesn't love him, not really. She just thinks she does.

"Pansy."

She turns to him, expectant, eager. He's going to crush her, he thinks. Yet another victim of the war.

"It's time to end things." His voice is cold. It has to be. If he shows emotion, if he lets her in, she'll persuade him not to end things and that they can still be together. And they cannot be together.

"What?" She blinks stupidly.

He keeps his voice deliberately cold. "You heard. I'm sorry but we can't go on like this, Pansy. I'll always love you, in a way, but I have to do my duty and I don't think it will involve you. You need to stay here, at school where it is safe. And later, you will fall in love with someone else, someone better and you'll be happy." He's pleading with her not to make things difficult, to accept his words, to be seduced by the future he is envisioning for her.

She doesn't take it. Of course she doesn't. That was one of the things he liked about her – her spirit, her refusal to give up, her stubbornness. "You're...you're going?"

"Yes. I have been summoned."

She looks horrified. "You don't want me."

He has to do this. "No." He turns to leave. He can't break her anymore, he can't.

She throws herself at him, gripping the front of his robes, she's sobbing inconsolably now. "Please don't leave me! Please. I love you. I need you. Please, don't leave. Stay here."

If only it were that simple. "No." He says again. He carefully removes her hands from his clothing, pushes her until she is seated in her chair again and leaves.

_I'm sorry. Forgive me._


	52. I swear I'll kill you

**A/N: I know it has been too long. I had a brief hiatus from fan fiction after Marriage, Babies and Hatred ended. I'm back now though and I really do want to finish this. I'm not abandoning ship. As always, reviews are much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

51. "I swear I'll kill you!"  
Parvati x Padma

Twins, it was said, were like one person, one soul in two bodies, telepathic and all that stuff.

They weren't.

They were friends, sure, and sisters, but twins...that was perhaps stretching it a bit too far. They didn't behave like twins. They were more like sisters – Padma was the older wise one who always looked out for her little sister and Parvati looked up to her like a little sister would. It worked for them. They were friends because they genuinely enjoyed each other's company, not in a twin way, just in a normal friend way. As they liked to say, they would have been friends even if they had not been twins. And as for the so called twin telepathy, well it simply did not exist. Not for them anyhow.

They were fighting in the war. Fighting hard. They'd gone their separate ways, this was a battle for Merlin's sakes, it was too unpredictable and dangerous to focus on staying together. Anyway, they had different strengths and were needed in different places.

Padma pulled herself away from the others, neglecting her fight, as the pain shot through her. Her limbs shuddered with the agony. Her mind felt like it was breaking. She was dying. What was this? No one was cursing her, no one even knew she was here. She managed a hasty glance around her. No one. What was going on?

Parvati.

Parvati.

Parvati.

The name shot straight into her mind and dropped from her lips. Without even thinking, she ran back into the melee, seeking her twin out. Wherever she was, Parvati was in danger, in pain, and she, Padma, had to save her.

She found her. A Death Eater, still masked, stood over her. Wand outstretched. As Padma watched in silent frozen horror, a flash of red light shot from the wand at Parvati's limp body, Parvati twitched and convulsed. Padma felt her pain. The light stopped, the pain ceased and Parvati lay still.

The Death Eater raised it's wand again.

Padma ran forward. "Not my twin! Get away from her!" She was seized with the need to kill, to maim, to torture, whoever this thing was that was hurting her twin, her other half. Parvati lay still, oh so very still. Oh Merlin please be alive Parvati you're my twin and I love you so much I can't do it without you get up please.

She raised her wand. "I swear I'll kill you!"


	53. Please tell me it's a lie

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

44. "Please tell me it's a lie."  
Lily x Severus

He seeks her out the minute it becomes public. Hogwarts is a hotbed of gossip and if one person knows pretty soon the whole school does as well. This latest little snippet of gossip is dominating conversations across the castle. She has already been asked by five different people if it really is true in the last ten minutes.

She knows he will come. She tries to avoid him nonetheless.

His arm shoots out and grabs her. He pulls her into an empty classroom, hopefully without anyone noticing.

His eyes are dark and slightly frantic. "Please tell me it's a lie. Tell me that it isn't true. That...that you haven't..."

She doesn't know what to say, she will never be able to explain this to Severus. In fact, she doesn't even owe him an explanation. She chooses to stay silent. He takes it as confirmation.

"He's not right for you."

Her head snaps up and she glares at him, really glares. "You're not my best friend any more Severus, you don't have the right to say things like that. You don't have the right to even comment. In fact, it's not any of your business at all."

Severus shrinks back from her intense glare. She never used to look at him like this, she used to save this sort of look for Potter, pathetic arrogant Potter. Well now the tables really are turned – he, Severus, has gone from being her very best friend to the person she hates most in the universe, and the former holder of that position, Potter himself has become her boyfriend.

The whole world is wrong.

She walks away from him, red hair swinging behind her. He longs to reach out and grab her arm and wrap her in his arms and hold her.

She stops at the door and turns to face him. For the last time. "You made your choices Severus. I've made mine. Now we have to live with them. I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to me anymore."

She walks away. His whole world is wrong.


	54. I've watched people die,

74. "I've watched people die. Nothing scares me anymore."  
Harry x Ginny

Their reunion is not how he imagined it at all. When the war is over, he imagines that they will immediately be together again and remain together for the rest of their lives. She is still recovering, trying to put all the pieces of herself back together again.

She tells him to move on, to forget her, to fall in love with someone else.

He tells her that he'll never love anyone else. (And he means it. She's the one for him and she's crazy to think otherwise.)

She tells him it's probably best that they just stay friends.

He smiles and tells her that that's okay, if that's what she really wants. (She doesn't really want that. They both know it.)

She tells him she's messed up, damaged goods, that he deserves better. That he deserves someone whole and happy and light who can love him right.

He tells her that no one is more messed up than he is. That he loves her no matter how she is. That he'll help her get better, if she wants him too. That he doesn't want anyone else. That he'll never want anyone else, not ever.

Finally, she turns to him with tears in her eyes. Her hair has a slight wave to it. He wants to bury his hands in it.

"What if it doesn't work?" She says quietly, her voice breaking. "What if it turns out that we aren't meant to be? What if we argue all the time? What if we ruin it? What if our love fades?"

"It will work." He tells her. "I will make it work. We will make it work. I want this, I want you, every day for the rest of our lives."

"I'm scared. Of everything. Of the future. Of change. Of ruining this...whatever this is." She mutters quietly. She's never said that before. She is Ginny Weasley. She is strong and she is never ever scared. But now, now she is weak. He makes her weak.

He takes her into his arms, as he has longed to do for days, weeks now, and it feels so right. He feels whole again for the first time in a very long while. She feels it too, he knows she does. "I've watched people die." He confides in a murmur into her hair, the words are too awful to say any louder. "Nothing scares me anymore. I'll be brave for the both of us."


	55. I will never do that to another person

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

86. "I will never do that to another person."

They reunite at midnight in a disused classroom.

She had not intended to come.

She had gone to bed, as she was supposed to, and closed her eyes and tried very hard to sleep. At quarter to midnight, she had got up, changed back into her clothes and left the dormitory.

As she padded silently down the dark hallways, her mind screamed at her to go back. Go back. Don't do this.

He was waiting for her. Of course.

His eyes were dark, softening when he saw her. She stepped forwards.

"Hello." She said coldly.

He nodded. Her curtness had upset him. She could tell. He was trying to hide it but he could never hide anything from her, she knows him too well.

"I don't know why I've even come." She says, half to herself. "I shouldn't be here. He'd never forgive me if he knew."

"I won't tell him." These are the first words he has spoken to her in a very long time.

"I know," and she's telling the truth. He won't tell. "But I probably will, we don't keep secrets."

His lip curls.

She ignores it. "None of that explains why I am here. In fact, it makes it seem even more stupid that I even came here. I love him, I love him with all my heart. I gave up on you a long long time ago and I thought you would do the same. And yet, the second I got the note I knew I would come. I even pretended to myself that I wouldn't but I knew I would and here I am."

He kisses her suddenly, cutting off whatever she was going to say next. She kisses him back, surprising both herself and him. It feels wrong and right all at the same time. She cries silent tears for what could have been, what might have been, what will never be. She cries for her betrayal as well. It feels unfamiliar. She is so used to _him,_ that kissing his mortal enemy feels so peculiar. His fingers tangle in her hair and that little gesture is achingly familiar. It lasts longer than it should've and it's her who pulls away.

"I will never do that to another person." He says in an almost whisper, his eyes half closed.

"I know." She replies softly. "I'm sorry for that." Unspoken words hang in the air.

She pulls her cloak tighter around herself. "I should go."

He nods.

"Goodbye, Severus."

**A/N: Ambiguous again but I'm pretty sure you can guess who these two are. Let me know what you think in a review.**


	56. Kiss me

**Disclaimer: Still ain't mine. Jo Rowling owns it all.**

76. "Kiss me, _!"  
Ron x Hermione

"You're going back." He says flatly. His face is filled with bewildered anger and he is panting as if he has just tore up four flights of stairs to talk to her (which he has).

"Yes." She says, continuing to fold piles of clothes and place them neatly in her trunk. She could just do it with magic but the task would be completed very quickly that way and at the moment she has to keep occupied all of the time to stop herself from thinking.

"But...why?" He asks in a bewildered tone.

He doesn't get it. No one does. Why would she voluntarily return to Hogwarts? Hogwarts has become something tainted to them, somewhere that people they loved died and people got injured and some of their worst nightmares were played out right in front of them. There are very few people returning to take their final year. She is one of them. Harry has been offered a job in the Auror Department and Ron is sure to be offered a post as well. She doesn't want to be an Auror though. She doesn't know exactly what she does want to do but she does know that whatever it is will require a formal education.

"I have to." She replies. "I need an education, Ron. I can't just go through life saying oh I'm Hermione Granger so give me a job."

He smirks. "Bet they would though."

"I have to go back. I need an education. And I need to remember why I loved it there. I'm scared of the place, completely and utterly terrified, but I loved it once. It was the first place that I really fitted in and I want that back. I will not go through life scared of a castle." She speaks with passion and Ron thinks she has never looked so beautiful (he is also thinking that she might cry, and this worries him somewhat).

"I know. I understand." He says in a placating tone (but he doesn't get it, personally he would rather crawl over a bed of nails than go back). "I just..." He trails off, unsure of what to say.

"Just what?" She demands impatiently.

"I just thought that you would want to be with me, okay?" He says very loudly.

"I do." She says back at an equally loud volume. (A small part of him is glad that everyone else is out and they are alone in the house.)

"Well why are you going then? You'll be away for a whole year and you'll probably forget about me because they'll be a whole load of other boys there and I'll never get to see you!"

"I'll be back every single holiday to see you." She shouts fiercely. "And I will never forget you, you moron."

"Don't call me a moron."

"Oh shut up and kiss me, Ronald."

He does because he desperately wants to (and also because he is slightly scared of her when she is like this).

"I love you." He tells her.

"I know." She replies, rolling her eyes. "Want to help me pack?"


	57. He oh, Merlin, he

**A/N: Apologies for the lack of updates. Here's a little snippet to keep you going.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
**  
60. "He... oh, Merlin, he... he killed himself last night."

The war is on and everyone is, understandably, permanently on edge. Charlie himself finds the tension almost unbearable. People jump at the tiniest noises and everyone wears a look of fear which seems to be permanently etched into their faces.

So, when his Dad enters the room slightly ashen faced and looking worried, faces drain of colour and chatter stops and everyone waits expectantly. He can almost taste the terror in the air.

His own mind paints up vicious images.

Ron. Dead. Captured. Tortured.

Bill. Gone. Murdered.

You Know Who. Coming. Killing. Massacre.

He blinks back the onslaught and tries to focus in.

Arthur looks round at his family – most of his family for Ron is still out there doing Merlin only knows what – and sighs. "Cornelius Fudge...well, as you well know he was forced from office a few months ago, well... he... oh, Merlin, he... he killed himself last night." Arthur buries his head in his hands and Charlie bows his head, beside him his siblings begin to do the same. A few tears leak from Ginny's eyes and everyone pretends not to see, she would hate for them to draw attention to her. Everyone knows she isn't crying for Fudge anyway.

Charlie surprises himself with a brief stab of hatred for Fudge. Fudge took the easy way out. People were out there dying because of him, because he hadn't done anything to stop You-Know-Who, and he had gone and killed himself. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

The moment of silence ends.

Another life gone. Wasted. The war has claimed another victim and for that they will grieve but for now they have bigger things to worry about than the foolish actions of a foolish man.


End file.
